Providence
by Purple-rain20
Summary: Post TYBW AU. After nearly perishing in the war against the Wandenreich, Byakuya Kuchiki has become frightfully aware of his own mortality and wants to cherish his second chance at life. Will he find that special person to share it with? Will Rangiku Matsumoto allow her heart to heal and love again? Rated T for language & suggestive themes. Inspired by the song 'You Are Here'.
1. Blessed Assurance

_**Bleach**_ **belongs to Kubo.** _ **'You Are Here'**_ **belongs to Jhene Aiko. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1: Blessed Assurance

* * *

 _Spotlight_

 _Hope you are, hope you are who you say—_  
 _If you aren't who I thought_  
 _It'll break my heart_

 _Hate to ramble on about it_  
 _I am not too proud about it_  
 _I've been on the run, I've been tryna run around it_  
 _I've been tryna go around it_  
 _It's too much, I am astounded_

 _Wow_

 _You're too good to be real for sure  
What are you not saying that I should know?  
'Cause I should know  
If you're for sure or all for show_

 _Don't play with my love (my love)_  
 _Messing with my heart (my heart)_  
 _That's gonna be tough for you to pull off_

 _Gave me a new start, taking it too far_

 _It's gonna be hard if you really aren't_

 _Who you say that you are_

 _Hope you are who you say you are_

 _Hope you are who you say, you are the one_

 _If you aren't who I thought_

 _It would break my heart_

 _Hope you are who you say you are_

 _Hope you are who you say, you are the one  
If you aren't who I thought  
It would break my heart_

 _Caught me slipping, I was tripping and I almost gave up  
Now I'm living in your vision  
I don't wanna wake up from a  
Dream, lover, I'm in need of ya  
Please don't lead me on  
You know I don't play that  
How I'm living, I don't want no playback  
From a past lover, bad lover  
Please don't do me wrong_

 _Don't play with my love (my love)_  
 _Messing with my heart (my heart)_  
 _That's gonna be hard for you to pull off_  
 _Gave me a new start, taking it too far_  
 _It's gonna be hard (know that I love you baby)_  
 _If you really aren't who you say that you are_

 _Hope you are who you say you are  
Hope you are who you say, you are the one  
If you aren't who I thought  
It would break my heart  
Hope you are who you say you are  
Hope you are who you say, you are the one  
If you aren't who I thought  
It would break my heart_

 _Break my heart, don't break my heart_  
 _I pray to God, don't break my heart_  
 _Don't break my heart, it's all I got_  
 _I swear to God if you break my heart_

 _Tell me that it's something special_  
 _Tell me you never felt it_  
 _Tell me I'm your new obsession_  
 _Tell me that you really are the one_

 _If you aren't who I thought  
It would break my heart._

* * *

 _Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto._

 _Chojiro Tadaoiki Sasakibe._

 _Retsu Unohana._

 _Sajin Komamura._

 _Jushiro Ukitake._

 _Nemu Kurotsuchi_

 _Yachiru Kusajishi_

All fallen in the war.

The scent of incense irritated Byakuya Kuchiki's nose and he fought back the urge to sneeze.

He was standing in front of the memorial shrine dedicated for the fallen in the War, located in a central section of the Seireitei. It was a large stone surrounded by candles lit with eternal flames for the fallen. There were hundreds of names inscribed on this large stone, but those names in particular stood out to him the most. Although he was not one to show it, they were treasured comrades of his—people he had fought for and with. Now they were gone.

The Kuchiki Clan Head visited the memorial weekly. At first, it was out of respect for the fallen. Now, he visited because it was a quiet place to think—a place away from the constant clamor of repair projects and incompetent members of his Division harassing him.

Byakuya was cognizant of the fact that his name could have been inscribed on this stone as well, if it wasn't for the timely arrival of the Royal Guard who saved his life.

The sensation of his own Bankai being used against him and shredding his body to near nothingness kept him up at night frequently. The cycle of life entailed life and death, and he had never come so close to dying until that day. He was certain that a divine providence saved him from death because he had not accomplished all that he needed to do in this life. Becoming a better brother to his sister and learning to consider the feelings of others before himself was not enough.

There was a void within him that needed to be filled.

He felt his hands clench involuntarily and decided to put them together, bowing his head slightly and closing his eyes in a prayer for the fallen.

"You never seemed to be the religious type," a playful voice interrupted him.

He opened his eyes, annoyed, "Yoruichi Shihoin."

Yoruichi Shihoin sauntered up to Byakuya and stood to his left, her amber eyes scanning the stone and softening in sorrow as she came across several familiar names. "Even a century ago, Yamamoto was the unassailable force behind the Gotei 13. Everyone thought the man was invincible. Such a horrific way to go." she lamented, her tone subdued.

"Yes." Byakuya replied. The sight of seeing Yamamoto slain in such a horrible manner—bifurcated and burned to death by his own Zanpakuto, would never leave his mind.

Byakuya was no fool, he was well aware of the fact that he was depressed.

While many Shinigami celebrated the victory against the Quincy with food and drink, he sat at his home for hours in his office doing nothing. Sometimes he would rise and stroll around his gardens for a break in the monotony, but he felt quite empty inside. Long days and even longer nights with no one to confide in out of fear of being judged. Sometimes he considered confiding in Rukia or Renji, but he did not want to warp their opinions of him and show weakness. It was such a vain excuse that he kept trying to justify for himself. He knew the woman standing next to him would listen, but he was not sure if she would understand. Hell, he did not even understand himself.

Byakuya Kuchiki desired companionship.

He wanted someone to miss him.

He wanted to occupy the thoughts of someone.

He wanted to be _wanted._

Was he ready?

Yoruichi noticed the tense state that her former disciple was in and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm here to talk if you need to. It helps, Byakuya."

Byakuya noticed that the woman was serious for once and heeded her words. "Thank you," he whispered, and she disappeared in a flash moments later.

* * *

"Kuchiki-taicho?" another feminine voice spoke out.

Byakuya blinked at hearing another interruption and glanced up at the sky to see the sun was starting to set. _"How long have I been present here?"_ he thought to himself as he turned to the voice. It was Rangiku Matsumoto, standing there with a curious expression as she held a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a bottle of sake in the other. "Rangiku Matsumoto-fukutaicho," he found himself saying.

The party girl of the Gotei 13—known for sauntering about the Seireitei with alcohol, men, and a healthy combination of both.

He could not recall a time when he had ever addressed her directly before, not even outside of work.

Why was he taking notice of her now?

She inclined her head respectfully before approaching the stone and placing the flowers in front of it, joining several other bouquets that lined the bottom of the monument.

"I never took you for a religious kind of man," she commented as she scanned the stone before them.

He fought the urge to roll his eyes. That was the second time in the same day that someone said that to him.

Byakuya gazed at her from the corner of his eye and took notice of how her shoulder length strawberry-blonde hair framed her heart shaped face in such a lovely way. He looked into her eyes when she looked up at him—her baby blues seemed to be searching him. Seeing as how he was a grown man, he also took notice of her curvaceous figure, noting how tantalizing she looked in a simple green yukata.

"I have been told this before, Matsumoto-fukutaicho," he replied, trying to seem uninterested.

Rangiku was quite puzzled. She did not expect the man to even acknowledge her presence, much less respond to him. She had always thought of Byakuya Kuchiki to be the stuck up, rich boy who thought of himself as superior compared to everyone. His hair flowed freely that day and several ebony locks framed his face enticingly. He was clothed in an expensive burgundy yukata, and Rangiku could see his muscled chest. Byakuya Kuchiki was a very attractive man, yet, so unapproachable.

"But, I could undoubtedly say the same about you, Matsumoto-fukutaicho." Byakuya continued as he fully turned to face the woman—was that a _teasing_ look to his eyes? She had to have been seeing things, Byakuya Kuchiki didn't tease _anyone._

Rangiku had the mind to be embarrassed yet refused to show weakness. "I wouldn't consider that to be a _bad thing_ ," she commented through pursed, full lips that she noticed him glancing at every so often. "I live my truth."

"Truth?" He wasn't sure what honesty had to do with indulging in the base pleasures of the world.

Rangiku raised the bottle of sake in her hand, holding it at eye level, "Being myself," she explained. "We as Shinigami live for centuries, but life is too short to be something, or someone you are not."

Her eyes suddenly darkened, and she turned back to the stone, brushing her fingers across several names she recognized. Byakuya's eyes followed her fingers— _Retsu Unohana, Jushiro Ukitake_ —two comrades who had selflessly sacrificed themselves even though they did not have to. He knew that she was close to those two in particular and took their demises the harshest.

"We survived because of their sacrifices and Ichigo's resilience, yet I can't help but think that there was a divine intervention that allowed us to live on, no?" she questioned something that had been on her mind for a while. She looked at Kuchiki-taicho, whose expression was as if she had said something that he'd been wanting to hear for a long time.

" _Divine intervention, yes,"_ Byakuya agreed in his thoughts. That was it.

"You are quite the intuitive woman, Matsumoto-fukutaicho. I would have never expected to hear such thoughts from you." Byakuya commented and was startled slightly when the woman rounded on him in annoyance.

"I'm more intelligent than I let on, regardless or not if I drink." she spat at him, hating to be underestimated yet again. It was difficult being a woman in this world, but her past transgressions never ceased to follow her. Rangiku hated being known as the vapid party girl who refused to do her job properly, and no matter what she did— _no matter how hard she tried_ —no one wanted to see her for who she truly was.

"Besides," she opened the bottle and took a swig from it, "it helps." Her expression saddened and her postured slumped slightly. She didn't have to explain what sake helped her through.

Everyone had their own ways of coping with trauma. Byakuya's ways of coping was shutting himself off from everyone and pretending to be fine, and Rangiku's was indulging in the pleasures of the world.

"It was not my intention to fault you for that, if that was how my words were interpreted." He sounded ashamed. Byakuya was no different. He understood what it was like to be misunderstood—for people to hold steadfast to judgements based on appearances and opinions.

Rangiku blinked. Did Byakuya Kuchiki just _apologize?_

He noticed the woman's expression and made to apologize again, but she beat him to it.

"I'm sorry, Kuchiki-taicho." she blushed. "I didn't expect that." Her baby blue eyes crinkled with mirth, and he wanted to see that again. "You don't seem like the sort of man to—"

"Apologize? I am imperfect, and capable of admitting my errors."

"Ah, I feel like I have to apologize now," she snickered, and she was surprised to hear an amused chuckle in response. She looked into his charcoal eyes and saw the corners of them crinkle in amusement. He reached for the bottle still in her hand and sipped from it without breaking eye contact with her. She felt herself drift off slightly, his eyes were so expressive when he wanted them to be.

"Matsumoto-fukutaicho?" He called out to her, and she realized that she had been staring at him.

"Call me Rangiku," she blurted out without thinking. She realized what she said and turned away in embarrassment, feeling like a skittish school girl instead of the grown woman that she was.

"That would be unbecoming of your station, Matsumoto-fukutaicho." he replied to her as she felt him place the bottle back in her hand. She pouted in annoyance as her attempt to get the man to loosen up a bit failed. Disregarding the matter for now, she decided to bask in the warm of the outdoors and reflect upon the last two years since the War.

They stood in silence in front of the memorial stone long enough for the sun to set.

"My name could have— _should have_ —been inscribed in this memorial." He said quietly breaking the comfortable quiet in between them.

Rangiku didn't like hearing such morbid thoughts. "Don't say such things." she protested. She should have been dead as well—she did die, in fact, turned into a zombie with her captain by one of the Quincy. Kurotsuchi-taicho was able to reverse the process at the expense of a large amount of her remaining lifespan. Rangiku thought often about how long she had to live since then.

Byakuya faced her again, and she could see the hurt and vulnerability in his expression. This man was hurting, and she did not know how to comfort him. She pressed a hand to his chest, not even knowing why she did so, and looked in in the eyes.

"Do you feel this?" she demanded.

"Your hand?"

"No, idiot," she just called one of the most powerful men in the Gotei 13 an idiot, but she did not care. "your heart. It's still here. _You're_ still here." She pressed on insistently before getting in his face, their noses so close to touching.

The organ started to thump rapidly under her touch, but he didn't move away. In fact, he liked the sensation of her palm on his chest. He didn't say a word in reply. Their eyes—sky blue and charcoal—gazed deep into each other. Was it the booze doing this? Or was it the need for physical contact—the yearning for someone to sympathize with what was tearing his heart open on a daily basis? Blushing slightly, she slowly removed her hand from his chest, bowed and apologize before disappearing in a flash step.

"Rangiku." He whispered her name, lost in the wind.

* * *

 **This came to mind several nights ago, and I wanted to churn it out before I forgot about it. This might be a one-shot, or I might even make this a full story. My last story, _Secrets Can't Keep us Apart,_ has unfortunately lost traction and I'd rather not abandon it if I can avoid it. Thanks for reading and please review!**


	2. How Great Thou Art

Chapter 2: How Great Thou Art

* * *

" _And in the end, I was defeated miserably. I am ashamed of all this." he admitted to Ichigo Kurosaki as he was dying at the hands of his own Bankai._

" _Your heart. It's still here. You're still here." her sweet voice echoed in the background._

Byakuya Kuchiki shot up in bed with a start and he could feel sweat dripping down his back and his forehead, causing his hair to cling to his skin. This nightmare in particular had been haunting him for several months now. Groaning as he flung his feet over the edge of his bed, he stood and stalked over to his bathroom and turned on the light. He almost didn't recognize who he saw in the mirror.

Scratching at the stubble on his chin that he had been neglecting for several days now, he took notice of the bags underneath his eyes. As he suffered through this nightmare for the past few weeks, her words roused him from his suffering. Never had he felt such a desire to breathe the same air as that woman—to spend all of his time in her presence. As he walked back to his bed, he looked at the picture of his late wife that he kept at his bedside and shook his head as a strawberry blonde took her place in the picture.

He could not stop thinking about her.

Rangiku Matsumoto was special.

* * *

She scribbled her signature haphazardly on a document before sliding it over to the stack of finished papers. Rangiku Matsumoto absolutely abhorred paperwork and anything that didn't involve makeup, fashion, alcohol, and napping. She only concentrated on her work when she needed a distraction from something, or someone.

She could not stop thinking about him.

Byakuya Kuchiki was different.

It had been a few weeks since their incident at the War Memorial and she tried to go about her life in vain. Never had she opened herself up to someone like that, not even her captain and not even Gin. At the dual captain and lieutenant meetings, she begged her captain to leave promptly at the end of every meeting because she wanted to avoid being around him as much as possible. No matter how she tried to focus on her tasks, all her mind could focus on were his eyes. So expressive—so pained and in need of comfort. Rangiku was a kind woman to a fault, it was a shame that Gin failed to appreciate that aspect of her until he died.

She winced at the thought of her deceased lover, it was nearly five years since his death and it still pained her every second of the day. Rangiku felt immense guilt over Gin's demise because had she known his motivations, she could have tried to stop him. Instead, she was useless and broke down over his deceased body. Sighing to herself, she cracked her knuckles and dug back into her stack of forms.

Rangiku wasn't the sort of woman to connect with someone beyond the superficial level, yet her encounter with Byakuya stirred something within her. She picked up on his pain and felt an odd obligation to help him through it, but she couldn't even talk to the man much less acknowledge him in public since that night. The strawberry blonde woman rested her forehead on her arms, suddenly uninterested in her work.

"Matsumoto," her captain's gruff voice broke the comfortable silence of the room, but she sensed the concern in his tone. She looked up to see him standing in front of her desk with a file in his hand. "I need these delivered to the 6th Division as soon as possible."

Rangiku blushed slightly. _He was there._

"Are you ill? You've turned red." Hitsugaya observed as he placed the file down. "Stop by the 4th if you need to."

Rangiku nodded silently, gathered up the file, and left the room quickly.

* * *

"Rangiku-san!" Renji Abarai called out to his friend.

Rangiku smiled amiably at her drinking buddy and approached him. "Hey Renji! It's been so long since you've hung out," she teased him. Renji sighed, the baby and his lieutenant duties made it so that he never had time to himself anymore, and he'd rather not be on the receiving end of Rukia's punches or Kuchiki-taicho's cold glares for shirking on his duties as a father and a lieutenant.

"Try having a kid, Ran. It's a full-time job—taicho just sent me home for the day so I'm gonna see if I can drop by the bar before Rukia comes home with the kid," he started to walk away, "you coming?"

Rangiku looked pensive, "I still have some work I have to do. You'll see me there if I can make it!" she exclaimed as she hurried away without giving Renji the chance to say goodbye. After turning through a few corridors, she arrived at her destination. _His office._ Her hand hovered over the door to knock and she suddenly had cold feet.

Before she could even work up the nerve to knock, the office door cracked open and a single grey eye peeked out to see who she was before swinging open completely. There he was in all his glory—his gold trimmed captain's haori lay fitted on his shoulders, his hair pieces nestled on the crown of his head. She even noticed a bit of stubble on his face—she couldn't imagine Kuchiki-taicho growing a beard like Shunsui.

"Matsumoto-fukutaicho," he greeted her and gestured for her to enter. "Please, enter my office."

Rangiku hesitated before complying with his request and strolling in. Perhaps he needed her to relay a message back to her captain? She was trying to rationalize the reasons why she would need to be here beyond dropping off forms. Rangiku turned around once she had approached his desk and saw that he was still standing at the office door, watching her every move.

" _Those eyes,"_ she shivered as door shut behind him with a click and approached her slowly. Her heart thumped loudly in time with the noise of his footfalls on the wooden floor.

"Kuchiki-taicho?" she questioned. "I have the forms from the 10th Division from my captain." she stuck out her hand stiffly, looking away from the man. He reached for the forms and haphazardly tossed them on his desk. Those were unimportant to him now, the only thing that mattered was that her eyes looked into his. She mirrored his sentiments and drifted her gaze back to him.

"You're staring at me," she teased him in an attempt to mask her own insecurities. "I feel like you're trying to undress me with your eyes, Ku-chi-ki—tai-cho." Rangiku took pleasure in provoking men to embarrassment, even at the expense of her own self-respect. She needed to regain control of this situation before she did something she would ultimately regret.

"Shh," he hushed her and disregarded the comment as he looked deep into her baby blue eyes, wanting to memorize every single aspect of her face—from her eyes, to her full, luscious lips, to her beauty mark at the corner of her chin. "Let me enjoy this, you are exceedingly lovely to gaze upon."

Rangiku's attempt of flirting the man to submission failed miserably and a mortified expression comically took over her face. She stammered hopelessly for several moments before Byakuya spoke again.

"Since that night, you have been on my mind endlessly. I cannot recall a moment in that time period when I was not thinking of you," he admitted quietly, "Rangiku-san." He tested the sound of her name and decided that he liked it.

As a man who had been married and in love before, the sensation she felt in her presence was different from that than his late wife. Byakuya had surmised over a week ago that this was a start of a growing interest in her that he should probably nix while he was ahead of himself, but the woman in front of him was so mesmerizing. He could not attempt to stay away from her even if he wanted to.

Rangiku bit her lip slightly and thought about how to respond. She would by lying to herself if she claimed to have not had the same thoughts about the man in front of her, and what woman wouldn't? Yet, any idea of an arrangement between the two of them would be inappropriate. Rangiku was the last woman in the Gotei 13 to care about appearances in such a way, but she could not help but think that this was the result of poor judgment.

"Is that why you summoned me here? To seduce me?" she questioned him. He hadn't even touched her and still felt like she was being used. Gin used to make her feel uncomfortable sometimes—most times, actually—but never like this.

Byakuya vehemently shook his head. "The opposite, in actuality. I simply wanted to be in your presence again and, if possible, have the opportunity to discover more about you."

Kuchiki-taicho's inability to speak informally irritated Rangiku quite a bit. Although she was very well read, she could not tell if he was using a wordy explanation to tell her that he wanted to sleep with her or not. Even if that was the case, this behavior out of the man was odd. Sure, everyone in the Gotei 13 had their eccentricities and ways of dealing with their way of life after the war, but this was not the Byakuya Kuchiki she knew.

"I wouldn't mind being your _friend_ , Kuchiki-taicho," Rangiku responded, pointedly ignoring the slight look of disappointment on his face that he quickly willed away. "It's remarkable how I have known you for over a century without actually knowing you." A century ago, everyone knew who Byakuya Kuchiki was—the grandson of the 6th Division captain and heir to the Kuchiki clan. Rangiku graduated from the Academy several years before he did, so she did not know him personally.

" _I was hoping for something more than that, Rangiku-san_ ," he thought to himself as he listened to her speak. He wished he could vocalize what he was thinking. _"I cannot help but be dissatisfied with just being friends."_

Clearing his throat, he decided to change the subject. He strolled over to his cabinet and procured a bottle of sake, her favorite, and two sake dishes. A small smirked played on his lips as he watched her sky-blue eyes dart towards the bottle.

"A taste, Matsumoto-fukutaicho?"

Rangiku gulped. This man was really about to exploit her weakness, wasn't he?

"Sure," she affirmed breezily as she deposited herself in the chair across from Byakuya's chair at his desk. She'd have a quick drink and then she would exit promptly. Might as well take advantage of the man's patronage, no?

The sake dish scrapped against the wood of the desk as Byakuya coaxed it slowly in her directly. He sat in his seat across from her and gazed into her eyes as he picked up his dish, "Cheers," he saluted before tipping the glass to his mouth. The booze burned at his throat—he did not drink alcohol under normal circumstances—but remembered the brand of the bottle she had brought to the War Memorial and made it a point of purchasing one for himself.

"Cheers," Rangiku played along and shot the contents of the glass to her mouth quickly. She paused for a moment, "What exactly are we toasting to?"

"To you."

Rangiku thought she might have been experiencing one of the weirdest dreams she's ever had. "I'm not following. Before that night, I don't even recall even having a real conversation with you before—I hope this isn't some type of joke." she said with a hint of insecurity in her tone.

Byakuya shook his head dismissively and prepared himself to speak on a topic that he had never addressed outwardly before. "You helped me to realize that my life still has purpose, even when I believed my survival to be some sort of cruel punishment for my past transgressions. Those words you spoke to me that night about my heart—it roused my will to endure." He paused and awaited her response.

Rangiku felt genuinely flattered at the man's words. She would have never expected to be credited with helping someone with their confidence before and she couldn't help but smile. Maybe Kuchiki-taicho wasn't so bad after all, regardless of what she knew of him before. Underneath that ice-cold exterior was still a human being who felt the same emotions that she felt. Who knew experiencing a man's genuine feelings was so refreshing?

"I wouldn't consider myself to be the beacon of sound advice, taicho," she joked from behind the rim of her glass that was just replenished. "I do appreciate the praise, however. It means a lot to me; and I am glad to see that you are doing better." She said genuinely, smiling warmly at the man.

"You sell yourself too short, Rangiku-san," he replied, using her first name again. "You've become someone special to me since then." His gaze softened at the sight of her surprise. _"Gorgeous,"_ he immediately thought to himself.

Her eyes widened in surprise at his confession and she turned away from his gaze. Byakuya was slightly disappointed in her reaction to his advances and decided to back off for the moment. He was so accustomed to women fawning over him that he was not aware that not all women were the same. Especially her. He was unfamiliar with not getting his way, but he was willing to put in the effort for this woman—for his pride. Rangiku Matsumoto was a woman that had to be earned, not taken.

Rangiku wanted to kick herself, here she was, spurning the advances of one of the most attractive single men in the entire Gotei 13. Part of her welcomed his actions and an even smaller part of her felt guilty. She vowed to never look at another man the way she looked at Gin, but she just could not help herself. Throwing caution to the wind, she decided to indulge.

"There is more to this conversation than you just thanking me for speaking with you, Kuchiki-taicho," her eyes glinted with mirth. "I appreciate the sake, though—it's a nice consolation." He brought out her favorite, that was a plus in her mind.

A flash of amusement was in his eyes. "I have wanted to see you since that night, so I requested your presence specifically from Hitsugaya-taicho. My lieutenant would have interrupted the time I wish to spend with you." He smiled warmly at her—the slightest upturn of the lips, but she could see that he was genuinely happy to have her here. Her heart fluttered slightly at the sight. Since when did Byakuya Kuchiki smile?!

The lieutenant hadn't expected the captain to be so taken with her, especially after such a short conversation.

"I feel like there is more that you're not telling me." Rangiku replied cautiously, fearing his next words. She drank from the sake again to calm her nerves and wondered how much of it she had drank.

The Kuchiki clan head took a deep breath before responding. He made sure to establish contact with her beautiful sky-blue irises before he spoke the words that would change their lives from then on.

"I am infatuated with you."

* * *

" _I am infatuated with you."_

"Oh." Rangiku replied lamely after several agonizing moments. This…was unexpected.

Byakuya silently watched her go through several emotions—shock and guilt were the main ones. He wondered if she felt the same way—everyone in the Gotei 13 knew that she still retained feelings for Gin Ichimaru, the same man who hurt her time and time again, but Byakuya was undeterred. He would never stop loving his deceased wife, but his heart was capable of moving on.

"You hardly know me." Rangiku finally found her voice.

The man across from her was unfazed, "We could undoubtedly change such a thing, if you are willing." One of his hands slid out to embrace hers, but she drew away from his touch quickly.

"Are you asking me to sleep with you?" Rangiku balked at the idea.

Byakuya blinked. This was not the reaction that he had anticipated. He was the king of calm, but alas, he panicked.

"Would you like more sake?" he immediately reached for the bottle, hoping to draw her attention away from his error.

"No!" Rangiku hissed as she stood up, planting both arms on his desk and leaning forward to hover over him. "You will not use booze to change the subject! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Byakuya's eyes widened at the woman's sudden fury, he was grossly unprepared for her reaction.

He slowly placed the bottle down and racked his mind for an appropriate answer. _"Rack,"_ he thought absentmindedly as Rangiku's bosom bounced enticingly in front of his face.

Rangiku followed his gaze and squealed in displeasure, "Perv! I'm outta here!" she exclaimed as she stomped towards the door. She paused for a moment and doubled back, grabbing the bottle of sake. "I'm taking this too!" she exited and slammed the door loudly. A picture of his garden that was hanging on his wall fell off at the impact and crashed to the floor.

Byakuya let out the breath he was holding and rubbed his eyes. That was a disaster—he didn't exactly have a plan of how he was going to confess but he did not expect her to lash out at him. He wondered if he should follow her and ultimately decided not to, she needed time and he would supply it.

* * *

 **Welcome again! Byakuya may seem to be a bit OOC in this fanfic, but wouldn't anyone in his position make the effort to change their outlook on life? My biggest struggle in writing is trying to keep everyone in character, especially since I have not watched/read** _ **Bleach**_ **since it ended. Never the less, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! Please review!**


	3. Blessed Be the Tie that Binds

Chapter 3: Blessed be the Tie that Binds

* * *

Byakuya Kuchiki spent many evenings after that adventurous afternoon in the privacy of his gardens. Seated on a stone bench, he vainly attempted to clear his thoughts of that woman. A shishi-odoshi nearby clanked occasionally as it filled to the brim with water. Picking up a stone, he flung it expertly and it bounced gracefully on the surface of his koi pond. Just when he started to feel his spirits raise, everything came crashing back down.

That blasted woman was driving him mad.

"Nii-sama!" a voice spoke out and interrupted his brooding.

Byakuya turned to the voice and stood up, nodding at his sister Rukia. "Hello, Rukia," he greeted her before turning to the baby in her arms. "Ichika." The red-haired baby gurgled happily at the sight of her uncle and stretched out her arms to him. He promptly took her in his arms and she settled herself in happily.

"It's been a while since I've stopped by," Rukia Kuchiki smiled as her daughter promptly stuck a tassel from her brother's haori into her mouth. "How have you been lately?" she asked him, noticing how his normally stoic expression looked a bit sullener.

Although Byakuya didn't confide in anyone under normal circumstances, Rukia was the only person who had a fair idea of what he was dealing with. He was thankful for her presence and support, even if he had trouble showing it. Byakuya was a skilled man but he lacked in the department of communicating his feelings. He decided that using his sister as practice would help him with Rangiku. Also, Rukia of all people deserved to know what was going on first.

"I'm—I am trying to get to know someone." He closed his eyes and tried to look nonchalant.

Rukia arched an eyebrow. "Oh…?"

"A woman."

A sly smile graced Rukia's features. "Interesting." She never knew her sister, but she was glad to see that her Nii-sama had found someone to cherish again. "Is she a Shinigami? Do I know her?"

"Yes, she's a Shinigami and you do know her very well." At this point Ichika started to yank at his hair and he winced. Rukia took back her daughter and stuck a Chappy the Rabbit pacifier in the child's mouth before placing a speculative finger on her chin.

"I want to guess. I would say Yoruichi-san, but that's impossible." she smirked at Byakuya's revolted expression before continuing, "Is she a seated officer? A captain or lieutenant?" Rukia asked in excitement. Her brother rarely interacted with their peers outside of work, and even then, he offered the bare minimum of conversation.

Byakuya hesitated. "The latter."

A spark flew in her eyes. "I think I know who it is…"

Byakuya regretted even mentioning anything to Rukia, but her next words horrified him.

"It's Kiyone-chan!" Rukia comically pointed a finger in her brother's face, feeling triumphant for solving the mystery. Judging by the stony expression on Byakuya's face, she soon assumed that her conjecture was incorrect. He sat down on the bench again and made space for his sister and niece to do the same.

"It would be impossible for me to describe how this woman makes me feel." he began after an extended silence. Rukia's head whirled around in surprise at the tenderness of his voice.

"I used to think that she was such a crass and vain woman who thought little of those around her, but she has proven me wrong since then. She is, however, combative and eccentric, yet she still has a heart of gold underneath those qualities. She is considerate and benevolent and shrewd beyond her years. I gaze into her eyes and I'm left utterly breathless at her magnificence." He placed his hand on his chest, right where her hand was several weeks ago. "My heart yearns for hers, Rukia."

Rukia melted at the romantic confession that she heard from her brother. Only he could have verbalized such pure intentions in such a beautiful way. If only her own husband was as romantic, but she couldn't complain. "Does she know?" she whispered, still entranced.

Byakuya nodded but a rueful expression crossed his face, "I made an error and she did not react in the way that I expected."

"How did she react?" Her brother rarely made mistakes, so this was strange to hear.

Byakuya sighed. "She demanded an explanation, called me a pervert, and took the bottle of sake I had bought for us to share and fled."

Rukia sweat-dropped. The mention of the words 'pervert' and 'sake' made it abundantly clear who the object of her brother's affections was. "That sounds like Rangiku-san." So Nii-sama was attracted to Rangiku-san, this was quite unexpected. Rukia expected her brother to be drawn to women such as Isane-san, who was demure and soft-spoken or maybe even Nanao-san, who was well put together. Rangiku was quite the surprise, but she could see them as a pair.

"Precisely."

Ichika crawled back over to Byakuya and he bounced her on his knee. The little baby cooed happily—children had always taken well to him and he wanted children of his own. Children with his ebony hair and her sky-blue eyes…or maybe even her strawberry blonde tresses with his grays. Either way, the children would be perfect. He wondered fleetingly how the clan would react to an heir with bright colored hair.

"I'll go out on a limb here and say that this isn't just a simple crush—it's much more than that." Rukia couldn't even recall a time when her brother and Rangiku-san even had a conversation with each other. Something had to have happened between the two of them for her brother to be so entranced by Rangiku. She didn't want to tell him that he was going about this the wrong way, but she had a bad feeling about the methods he was employing.

"I'd wed her today with the opportunity." He replied resolutely, a determined gleam in his eyes.

Rukia gave her brother a sympathetic look and covered his hand with hers, "You barely know her—she's probably apprehensive, you know? It takes time."

As a nobleman, hastily arranged marriages were common in their society. The idea of wanting to marry Rangiku at that moment wasn't strange in their circle, but Rangiku was not a noble. Women who wanted to marry have to be courted properly and already in a relationship with the person of their affections.

"It took Renji and I seventy years before we decided to spend eternity together," Rukia continued as she poked at Ichika's cheeks. The baby scowled at her mother just like her namesake would. "Love doesn't happen in a day, Nii-sama. Also, you have to be prepared for the chance that Rangiku-san won't reciprocate your feelings." She figured she'd warn him about potential rejection to spare his feelings.

Byakuya frowned. He would not have to prepare for such a thing because Rangiku-san will fall in love with him. His pride was on the line.

* * *

"Matsumoto?" a boyish voice called out to her.

"Yes, taicho?" Rangiku responded without looking up from her forms.

Toshiro Hitsugaya noticed a change in his longtime friend and lieutenant. He'd never seen the woman so dedicated and focused on her work since he entered the 10th Division decades ago. Every morning, he would arrive to his office on time and she would already be there, going through forms with ease. She was even holding training sessions with the officers, something that she dreaded doing.

Toshiro hesitated and set down his writing brush. "You've seemed different recently, and as your captain I am entitled to be informed." He gave her a piercing stare to signify that he meant what he said. Even though he benefited from Rangiku's abnormal behavior, it did not mean that it was a good thing.

Rangiku pouted her lips. This was something that she _really_ didn't want to speak about, especially something to someone his age. He'd probably get upset at her and yell at her. Taicho should be glad that she was actually doing her job properly for once instead of prying into her life.

Here she was, daydreaming about a man she could never see herself with as well as mourning a dead one who broke her heart.

"Just guy problems, taicho. It's nothing worth your time to worry about." she replied dismissively as she leaned back in her chair, placing her feet up on the desk.

"You're going to fall." Hitsugaya warned. "Anyways, is someone bothering you? Do I need to intervene?" He knew Rangiku was more than capable of taking care of herself, but he disliked the type of looks that she was on the receiving end of. Toshiro was somewhat aware of the fragile state she was in and didn't want her to suffer through any unnecessary hinderances.

Rangiku frowned. "No, not anymore. It's nothing to concern yourself about, taicho." She hadn't seen or heard from Byakuya in several weeks—he was most likely embarrassed by the situation and completely forgot about her. Yes, he's probably dismissed the whole situation as a momentary lapse in judgement and she should do the same.

A knock at the door startled the two and Toshiro stood up with a grunt. Opening the door, it was an unseated member of his division holding a huge bouquet of flowers in vase of solid gold. The rim and handles of the vase were lined with diamonds. He quickly gestured the man in and addressed him. "What is the meaning of this?" Something this expensive had no business being in the 10th Division, so Hitsugaya surmised that there might have been a mistake.

"My apologies, Hitsugaya-taicho. This is a delivery for Matsumoto-fukutaicho." he said, straining as he spoke. Toshiro pointed to a coffee table and the man set it down and bowed before leaving in a hurry. The white-haired boy approached the bouquet and began to identify the flowers. Rangiku hung back at her desk with a million thoughts whirling in her mind.

"A bouquet of white carnations, baby blue lilies and pink tulips—all nestled in a golden vase adorned with diamonds." he observed before glancing at his blushing lieutenant. "Whoever sent this might be trying to tell you something." He smirked in amusement. The lieutenant bristled, her captain was rarely amused about anything and the sight was unnerving.

Yet, Rangiku felt as if her heart was about to fly out of her chest. The flower arrangement was gorgeous, not to mention absolutely huge. She didn't have to guess who sent these. All this time she thought he had forgotten about her since she blew up on him, but it was plain to see that she occupied Byakuya's thoughts. Rangiku needed an excuse to run away and she still felt awful about it. She wondered if Gin would have done the same, but that wasn't his cup of tea. Rangiku knew deep in her heart that she barely even knew the man she still loved.

"Carnations are given in honor of new love, tulips are a sign of comfort and warmth, and finally, lilies are a sign of eternal devotion." Toshiro informed his lieutenant. Growing up as a child with Momo and his grandmother, he learned much about flowers due to the abundance of them in their district. "Is this your idea of… _'guy problems'?"_

Rangiku's eyes widened at the implications. _"New love? Eternal devotion?"_ she thought to herself as she felt her heartbeat pound in her ears. She slowly approached the bouquet as Toshiro leaned down to further inspect it.

Toshiro plucked a sealed note from the arrangement and read the cover. "To: Rangiku Matsumoto. From: A man who yearns for your presence." He turned to Rangiku and smirked. "For once, you are courting men with etiquette, I'm proud—Oh?" he noted that the note was taped together with a small sticker and made to pry it open.

"Give me that!" she exclaimed as she snatched the note from Toshiro's hand and hid it behind her back. "You're so nosey, taicho!" she whined loudly.

Toshiro made a face and sighed. "I wanted to hear what it said, Rangiku." Anyone who would go to such lengths for Rangiku _and_ have her blushing like a schoolgirl was someone that he wanted to meet personally, or at least have a name to call them by.

"It's private." she said quietly, surprising him at the gentleness of her tone. He looked back at the bouquet and noticed how the lilies matched her eyes and how the pink tulips matched the scarf she's worn for as long as he's known her. Whoever sent this not only has quite a bit of money, they took the time to be thoughtful about the arrangement.

"Whoever this _guy_ is happens to be rich—and has good taste." Toshiro commented as he went back to his desk. "Make sure you take that with you when you leave for the day," he sniffed lightly. "It smells funny."

Rangiku silently ran several gentle fingers through the flower arrangement before plucking a blue lily from the bunch. She tucked it behind her ear and smiled to herself.

He was so thoughtful.

* * *

She was sprawled out on her couch after a long, boring day at the office with a cup of tea in her hand. Placing the cup down on the coffee table in front of her, she looked over to the other object occupying the table—the bouquet. This was easily one of the best gifts she's received in her long life and she couldn't express how happy she was to call it hers. A lot of thought was put into the arrangement and she knew she had to thank the man who sent it several days ago.

Byakuya Kuchiki.

A tall, elegant man with long, ebony hair and charcoal gray eyes. A pale face permanently fixated with an expression of disdain and calm. He was kinda cute, in a scary way.

Did she love the man? No. Did she have a _little_ crush on him? Probably? Kinda?

A small part of her wanted to let the man down easily before he interpreted her silence as a means to keep pursuing her, but deep down she enjoyed what he was doing. It wasn't even the fact that she had his focus to begin with, it was the fact that there were earnest intentions behind his fixation on her. His painfully awkward attempts at wooing her made her did wonders for her lack of confidence, as well as make her feel dreadfully embarrassed.

"Why does he have to be so adorable and irritating?!" she whined aloud to herself as she held a pillow to her face.

It didn't help in easing her conscious to know how badly he was suffering mentally until they had that heart to heart conversation, and she knew the guilt would eat her alive if she left him to his own devices. She just wasn't sure if and how she could reciprocate the sentiments. The last time she allowed herself to love, everything went horrible wrong. Hugging the same pillow to her chest, she wondered what hugging Kuchiki-taicho felt like. Maybe he was cold and hard like his personality was, or maybe he was warm and inviting?

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts and she shot up, perplexed. She wasn't expecting any visitors because it was still the middle of the week.

She swung open the door and gasped.

* * *

Byakuya Kuchiki was not sure what possessed him to do something like this.

It was nighttime—he wasn't sure of the exact time, but the lack of people in the area indicated that it was late—and he stood at the door to her apartment in the barracks, knocking several times before waiting. He was no fool, he was well aware of the fact that Rangiku Matsumoto was avoiding him. That was the main reason why he sent those flowers to the 10th Division—to get her attention and reaffirm his position with her.

The door swung open after a few moments and he was gifted with a full view of her beautiful, yet shocked expression. She was clad in a simple cream-colored yukata and her hair was tied back in a small bun, exposing her long, creamy neck to his appreciating gaze.

"Good evening, Matsumoto-fukutaicho." he greeted her formally as he nodded to her.

"Uh…hi, Kuchiki-taicho." she squeaked back lamely, and her embarrassed expression made his heart flutter. Several long moments of Rangiku's mouth opening and closing like a fish as well as Byakuya watching her like a hawk had past, before he spoke again, "May I come in?"

"Sure," she muttered as she took several steps back, allowing him to enter. He looked around casually—she lived humbly yet not below her means. The apartment had a couch, two love seats, a small dining table, and various decorations in several shades of pink were neatly arranged on side tables and bookshelves. On her coffee table was the bouquet that he had sent two days before.

"I should inform you why I have made my presence known here tonight, especially at this late hour." he spoke as his back was still turned towards her. Byakuya heard the door click closed and lock, which meant that he wasn't about to get thrown out as of yet.

"That would be helpful," Rangiku commented suspiciously with her hands on her hips. "Coming to a lady's house so late at night is a little suspicious, Kuchiki-taicho." she teased him.

"I wanted to ask you if you liked your gift." he replied as he finally turned to face her, ignoring her taunt. "I also wanted to apologize for my inappropriate behavior the other day.

Rangiku made a face, "You came all the way here for that? I'm sure you could've sent a hell butterfly." she chided the man for the extra work he had put himself through.

He shook his head, "Please answer my question, Rangiku-san." At the sound of her first name, her annoyance melted away. Byakuya watched Rangiku as she was trying to figure out what to say. Her bun was starting to loosen so she pulled the string that held it together and shook her head, her blonde tresses shimmered like gold and the sight caused his throat to dry suddenly.

She scratched at her hair casually before speaking, "It's super cute," she gushed after several moments, as her excitement returned once more. "I can tell that you put a lot of thought into this, even if you're a pervert. You apologized, so it's alright." The woman crossed her arms under her bosom and turned her nose up with a teasing smirk.

"Pervert?" he repeated the foreign word.

"You were gawking at my rack—it doesn't bother me that much anymore 'cuz every guy does that, anyways." she waved a hand flippantly and gestured for him to follow her into her living room. Sitting on the couch, she folded one leg under the other and continued. "Even my own cute captain does it too, as much as he loves denying it!" she started to laugh, and the melodious sound was music to Byakuya's ears.

"I can assure you that I am not, 'every guy.'" Byakuya replied as he sat an appropriate distance away from her. Honestly, what man wouldn't look? "How shall I prove that to you, Rangiku-san?"

Rangiku was midway through a sip of tea and promptly spat the brew across the room comically in reaction to Byakuya's innuendo. "Uh—well—you—shit," she swore and covered her mouth in embarrassment, "I didn't mean to say that…"

Byakuya sighed and produced a small package wrapped with a red ribbon on it. Rangiku jumped slightly as he laid it on the couch cushion in between them. "Go ahead, open it." he said, gazing intently at her. Rangiku knew she was blushing and slowly pulled at the ribbon to open the package.

She grinned as she saw the contents of the package, "Dried persimmons!" she exclaimed happily as she clapped and popped one in her mouth. "These are my favorite, how'd you know I like them?" Byakuya was so lost in her smile that he didn't reply for a moment.

"I have reliable sources." Byakuya replied calmly as if he didn't casually interrogate Renji earlier that afternoon about Rangiku's likes and dislikes. Thankfully, his brother-in-law remained blissfully unaware of Byakuya's intentions after their conversation. He was stunned when a persimmon was pushed towards his face by Rangiku.

"Come now, try one! I don't want to be greedy and eat it all." she said with a full mouth. Deciding to take a chance, Byakuya opted to bite into the fruit from her hand instead of taking it. The woman immediately turned a bright shade of red but didn't retract her hand. One more bite and the fruit was gone. "Delicious." Byakuya said as he licked his lips, eyes never leaving hers.

Rangiku did not know what possessed her to feed Byakuya Kuchiki, and she didn't want to know. A persimmon was coaxed in her direction and she bit into it without thinking, her lips brushing his fingers ever so slightly. _"What am I doing?!"_

Instead of feeding her the remaining half of the dried fruit, Byakuya pushed it into his mouth. "Even more succulent." he commented huskily, causing the woman next to him to shiver at the sound. She liked this side of him, a bit too much in her opinion. Another persimmon was touched to her lips and she bit into it, her eyes melting Byakuya's stone cold exterior by the second. They fed each other back and forth until the box was empty. The pair sat in a comfortable silence for several long minutes before Byakuya spoke.

"You've been avoiding me," Byakuya commented as he stood suddenly, removing his captain's haori and folding it. He tilted his head in the direction of the bouquet, "this was simply to let you know that my mind has not changed in regard to you."

"I was not avoiding you," Rangiku huffed in annoyance, purposefully avoiding the second part of his statement as she watched him hang his haori by her door. "I'm a lieutenant—I can't delegate my work like you can. I've simply been busy." She leaned back on the arm of the couch and crossed her legs, facing him directly.

"You still gallivant with your fellow lieutenants to drink in your leisure time, Rangiku. Plus, I do not delegate my work—it is the opposite. My brother-in-law is a respectable man, but he is painfully incompetent when it comes to paperwork." He sat back down after leaving his sandals by the door, causing Rangiku to bristle at the idea of him making himself comfortable in her apartment.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked with a panicked voice.

"Making myself at home, naturally." he deadpanned.

" _Home?_ This is _my_ apartment and you're squatting!" she shot back.

Byakuya looked insulted. "Squatting? You misunderstand, I live in an expansive mansion in the richest district of the Seireitei. I would not be here if I didn't want to be."

"I'm not sleeping with you!" Rangiku exclaimed indignantly as she stood up, hovering over him.

Byakuya closed his eyes and sighed. "As I have explained to you previously, my presence here was to inquire about the gift I sent you as well as supplying you with your favorite food. I had no intention on bedding you tonight. Plus," his eyes opened yet again, and he actually _smiled_. "you let me into your home and closed the door. That simply means that you want me here."

Rangiku's eyes widened in horror, "I didn't want the cold air getting in here!" she exclaimed as she flopped back down on the couch. She stared at the ground indignantly for several moments before she glanced at the man next to her from the corner of her eye. He was still watching her intently with a soft, amused expression. Rangiku's body immediately relaxed and she started chuckling under her breath at her previous overreaction. She desperately needed to stop assuming that every man she spoke to wanted to sleep with her. He found himself relaxing and laughing along with her, a slight chuckle that made her heart flutter. After the silence that followed their laughter, he decided to keep the conversation rolling.

"I guess you're not so bad as I used to think," Rangiku said with a sly smile on her face. "Who would've thought that the Prince of Silence engaged in peasant behavior such as laughter?"

Byakuya looked at her from the corner of his eyes and casually stretched his arm over the couch cushion behind Rangiku, thanking the Gods above that she didn't notice.

"Rangiku-san, would you believe me if I were to tell you that I can smile," he leaned forward ominously, "with both rows of teeth?" he said this in such a deadpanned manner that she almost thought he was serious.

Rangiku blinked owlishly before keeling over in another round of laughter. Byakuya decided that he enjoyed her laughter and wanted to make her feel that way even more. She wiped a stray tear from her eye and sniffed, "Wow, you just made a joke—I feel like I'm dreaming," Rangiku wheezed as she caught her breath. "And you have yet to gawk at my boobs, either!"

"I am a gentleman." He responded casually, although it was a battle to keep his eyes above shoulder level. She snickered at his discomfort until his expression noticeably softened and he addressed her again.

"What I said back then, I meant it. My delivery of the message was flawed, yes, but it was true." He said softly as he touched her hand that was on the couch. "I missed you." He admitted as he curled his fingers around hers. She still didn't respond and looked at him warily, and his shoulders dropped significantly. Byakuya knew he had to fight these feelings of despondency and prove to this woman that his intentions were earnest. He noticed how she did not have the amused expression on her face anymore, instead there was a face of pain and regret.

"I've never been in this position before, you know." she admitted, being the object of a man's genuine feelings was something unknown to her, especially a man that she barely knew.

"Neither have I."

Rangiku looked confused. "But you've been married before, surely that's not true?"

Byakuya had a sullen look to his face, "That is true, but my wife did not love me as I loved her."

She squeezed his hand comfortingly, knowing what it felt like to love someone who didn't quite love you back the same way. They sat in a comfortable silence, hands still embraced with each other. Rangiku furtively glanced at the man next to her, who was watching her intently; she could see the adoration in eyes she once thought didn't care about anyone but himself. Maybe this was something she could get used to, she had nothing to lose here, right? _"He's a good guy under all that stuffiness."_ she thought to herself.

Gin.

Her expression was suddenly pained.

"He used to buy me dried persimmons as an apology," she whispered as her hair fanned over her face, "that was the first thing he gave to me when he found me, dying of hunger in the Rukongai."

Byakuya leaned forward slightly to hear her properly, "Ichimaru?" He had to admit that he had a low opinion of the man who not only betrayed the Gotei 13 but tried to kill him and Rukia at the same time, regardless or not if he was a double agent.

A nod confirmed his suspicions. He never would have anticipated being challenged for her affections by a dead man, but it would be inappropriate to fixate on his personal feelings only. Byakuya heard her sniffle and several tear drops dripped on her thighs.

"I shouldn't have said his name." Byakuya apologized earnestly, rubbing his thumb along the back of her hand.

"No—no, I'm sorry…" she finally looked up and swiped the tears away. "I can't help it sometimes, I still miss him and you're not at fault for that." Her fingers tightened around his, reassuring him that his presence was still wanted. Deciding to take a chance, he scooted closer to her and slowly put an arm around her shoulders comfortingly. "I still miss my wife as well, do not feel ashamed for feeling that way. I relate to your pain."

The heat of his body was so comforting and enticing that Rangiku rested her head on his shoulder, reveling in the warmth. A comforting hand rubbed at her back soothingly as she cried into his neck and after what felt like hours, she leaned back and wiped her eyes. The fact that Byakuya sat through her breakdown and held her the entire time was so comforting to her, she didn't have to wear her mask around him like she did with everyone else.

How was she so comforted in the presence of a man that she barely even knew?

"I'm sorry." she apologized again through a yawn, "you didn't come over to see me like this…it's embarrassing." She frowned visibly, and her forehead wrinkled. Rangiku gasped as Byakuya's fingers grasped her chin and tilted her head up, looking deeply into her widened eyes. _"Is he gonna—?"_ she thought to herself in a panic, thinking that he was going to kiss her. His lips lightly caressed her cheek instead.

"Byakuya…" she whispered his name, entranced by his actions.

"Rangiku, do not apologize for being you." he touched his forehead to hers, drowning in her sky blues.

She felt her eyes droop suddenly and the bliss of sleep took over.

* * *

The sight of the woman he cared so much for breaking down in tears in his arms ached his heart.

Byakuya watched as Rangiku snored softly in his arms as they sat on the couch. He held her there for a long time, not knowing if he would have the chance to do so again. A warm, steady breath tickled his neck rhythmically and her hand had snaked its way into his shihakusho seeking warmth and he cradled her to him even tighter. _"I should leave before she awakens."_ he thought to himself as he yawned. He adjusted her in his arms bridal style and stood up, searching for her bedroom. Once he had found it, he placed her in her bed and fought the urge to join her before he drew the covers over her.

She immediately groaned softly at the lack of warmth and sighed in her sleep. Byakuya knelt down beside her and pressed his lips to her forehead, savoring the smoothness of her skin. Rangiku looked even more magnificent in her slumber, the moonlight reflected off of her flawless alabaster skin so softly.

"Sleep well, Rangiku." he whispered as he softly brushed her hair from her face.

* * *

 **If you haven't noticed before, I've made slight changes to the plot. Here, Rukia is already the Captain of the 13** **th** **Division three years after the invasion of the Quincy instead of ten years.**

 **Brownie points goes to whoever can tell me where the titles of these chapters come from!**

 **I know that a lot of writers (myself included, see** _ **'Secrets Can't Keep Us Apart'**_ **) use the Kuchiki clan elders as the cause of Byakuya and whoever he's paired with being unable to get together, and I don't plan on going that route.**

 **That itself will not be easy, so please bear with me.**

 **Even though it does make sense, it feels like an overused reason as to why Byakuya cannot be happy. It's an experiment I'm going to mess around with until I achieve the desired result.**

 **Thanks for reading and please review!**


	4. You Are My Righteousness

Chapter 4: You Are My Righteousness

* * *

She yawned loudly and stretched her arms, wincing as a few joints cracked from stiffness. Glancing at her clock, she saw that she was up earlier than usual. Rangiku stood up and stalked over to her bathroom mirror and looked at her reflection, wondering why her eyes were puffy and red. And then she remembered.

Byakuya Kuchiki was a strange man indeed. A cold-hearted, apathetic jerk who was extremely cute and now to her knowledge, compassionate. A man who had suffered from depression and loneliness for years without anyone even noticing, much less help him. Why on earth did she break down in his arms last night and why did he let her?

" _Do not apologize for being you."_

His words brought a strange heat to her face and she shook her head, remembering how his lithe, yet strong and warm body cradled her form as she cried. The kiss-on-the-lips-that-didn't-happen-but-almost-did replayed constantly in her dreams, wondering if that was his real intention. Her cheek tingled mightily, and she swiped at the area in an attempt to quell the sensation. The disappointment she felt was vexatious.

Taking advantage of an emotionally compromised woman was easy and terrible, sinful even and yet he didn't do so. She knew that she didn't find her way to her bed all by herself, he had to have tucked her in before leaving like the honorable nobleman that he was. A small part of her wished he had stayed as well.

Rangiku rubbed at her eyes and took a deep, measured breath. She just had another moment of weakness, that was it. Having breakdowns such as that with the thought of Gin was not abnormal, Rangiku would venture to say that those happened frequently yet she'd be by herself. Usually a bottle of sake would wash the pain away, but the presence of that man lifted a heavy weight from her shoulders—it was something she desperately needed even if she decided not to admit it. The sensation of pouring her heart out in his arms was so cathartic that she felt empty when she realized he was gone. This was too good to be true and she refused to be hurt again.

Rangiku Matsumoto was losing herself to the idea of him.

"I need a shower…" she murmured to herself as she began her day. Maybe she would wash the memories of last night away as well.

As she waited for the stream of water to heat up, she shrugged off her robe and noticed that it had his scent. A mild cologne with a slight hint of sakura petals. Rangiku held it to her nose and breathed deeply, hating herself even more for indulging.

* * *

"Are you even reading what you're signing off of, Matsumoto?"

Rangiku raised her head slowly from her hand and pouted. "It's the same forms every single day. Does it even matter at this point?" After last night's debacle, she wanted to get the day over and done with so that she could go back to her apartment and brood, maybe even have a few drinks.

"I don't care if that's the case, read what you're doing so that you don't make any mistakes." Toshiro reprimanded her as he replaced the stack of forms he took from her desk with another stack.

"Yes, taicho…" she sighed as she held the form directly to her face, mere centimeters from her nose. "You see? A whole bunch of reading going on here." She flattened the form against her face comically and read each word aloud. Toshiro rolled his eyes in exasperation, yet he was glad to see that Rangiku was somewhat acting like herself again. The question remained, however, who was this mystery man that had her acting so out of character?

Rangiku noticed how her captain was still watching her warily and spoke. "What's up, taicho?"

Toshiro hesitated for a moment. "Is that man still bothering you? I told you that I can intervene if I need to. Don't be afraid to tell me."

Rangiku snorted behind her hand as she stifled a giggle. Toshiro's concern was so adorable. "He's not bothering me—he's very sweet and kind, taicho." she said with a wistful smile as Byakuya's brooding face popped up in her mind's eye. "Super cute and sexy too." she added at the end without even thinking. Rangiku felt her ears turn red when she realized what she had said—Byakuya was pretty cute and sexy too, if cute was the proper way to refer to him. _"Why did I just think of that?"_

"I'd still like to know who it is…" he muttered, trying to seem uninterested.

Rangiku knew that Toshiro could be trusted, yet she didn't know if Byakuya wanted his feelings to be common knowledge. Rangiku herself also wanted whatever situation they had to be kept quiet as well, however, she desperately wanted to mess with her captain. "You're familiar with him, by the way. This isn't some stranger."

Toshiro's head shot up. He knew this man? "Is it Hisagi-fukutaicho?!" he queried with the most reasonable choice. The entire damned Gotei 13 knew how the man lusted for his lieutenant and she always seemed to be none the wiser. If it was in fact him, it was about time that she finally noticed. Yet, he doubted that Hisagi had the money to have bought that bouquet arrangement without having to save up for months.

"What? No, Shuhei and I are friends—he doesn't have feelings for me. We're drinking buddies and he always likes to help me out with my work if I'm not in the mood to do it myself." Rangiku said with a dismissive wave of the hand. Toshiro merely sweat-dropped and said nothing. It seemed as if Rangiku was still either playing the fool when it came to Shuhei Hisagi, or she genuinely had no idea how the man felt for her. He had a nagging feeling that Rangiku had little incentive of disclosing the man's true identity to him.

"But—never mind." Hitsugaya shook his head slightly, dropping that particular subject. He watched as Rangiku stood up from her desk and promptly glomped him from behind with her bosom, effectively holding him in place as she playfully nuzzled his snow-white hair with her cheek.

"It's so cute how you're worried about me, taicho~!" Rangiku cooed, much to the chagrin of her flustered captain, who squirmed in her grasp pitifully. "I'm a big girl, I can handle myself just fine."

"I'm well aware of that," he replied as he successfully wrenched himself from her grasp. "I just don't want your boyfriend to influence you in a negative manner. It's hard enough getting you to do your work satisfactorily when you're single, and I cannot even imagine how it would be when you're in a relationship."

 _Boyfriend?_

Rangiku paled visibly and placed a hand on her desk for support. She hadn't given much thought about why Byakuya was trying to woo her. Rangiku feared intimacy—she had a terrible propensity for those she was intimate with to end up dying. Leading Byakuya on was something that she did not want to do, yet she didn't want his presence in her life to cease.

Hitsugaya noticed Rangiku's pallid expression and narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Judging by your reaction, it seems that you are not dating this man." He leaned against her desk and observed her reactions. Rangiku's baby blue eyes stared at her captain guiltily, a small frown on her face and his teal irises widened considerably.

"You let this man spend an exorbitant amount of money on you, for him not even to be with you." Toshiro stated matter-of-factly, yet his tone seemed to be more astonished than admonishing.

A heavy sigh escaped from Rangiku's mouth. "I didn't _let_ this man spend anything, it was a gift…he came over to my apartment last night to explain why he sent it to me." She explained, unaware of the fact that she just let slip that Byakuya had been in her home. Toshiro looked scandalized, the man had been in her _home?_ Rangiku squinted her eyes at him suspiciously, wondering why he had that face until she realized what she had just said. "Oh—uh, it's not like that—"

The boy shuddered visibly and slinked back over to his desk, plunking down in his seat. He gulped down a long swig of water and breathed in deeply. Although he tried to act beyond his years for some respect, he found it difficult to hear about how adults acted in these, _situations._

"It wasn't even that big of a deal," Rangiku continued as she waved a flippant hand. "I've gotten flowers before plenty of times."

"You could buy a _house_ with that gift that man gave you!" Toshiro exclaimed, aghast at how nonchalantly Rangiku was treating this situation.

"Taicho," Rangiku adopted a chiding tone as she strode up to the front of his desk. "Like I said, you don't have to worry about me like that, this man is not trying to buy my affections." Her expression softened at the thought of Byakuya and how he held her in his arms as she cried. "It's just…." She trailed off suddenly. "…I…"

Toshiro interrupted her suddenly. "Are you in love with him?" He asked pointedly, a white eyebrow raised.

Rangiku shook her head so vigorously that Toshiro couldn't see her face anymore. "No! _No."_ She exclaimed emphatically at the thought. Rangiku had been in love before and the feeling she had for Gin compared to what she _thought_ of Byakuya were nowhere near the same. If anything, she was more or less intrigued by him and felt a weird obligation to help him out. At least that's what she wanted to think.

"Rangiku?" Toshiro spoke out to her several moments after she had gone silent.

"You have to promise me that you won't be judgmental…" she warned him with her hands on her hips like a disapproving mother.

"Fine, yes." He replied impatiently.

She tugged at one of the locks of hair that framed her face. "Well, he's been struggling quite a bit for the past several years. Mentally." Rangiku's expression turned sullen. "One day, I just happened to run into him and he was upset, so I encouraged him a bit. Since then, he's leaned on me for support, I guess. He's a good person, taicho." she earnestly tried to convince her young captain.

"I don't know why you'd assume I would judge someone like that, Rangiku." Toshiro almost sounded disappointed. "You shouldn't be ashamed of doing something so admirable."

Rangiku pursed her lips. "I'm not ashamed, I've just never done something like that for someone before."

"That's what happens when you develop a crush." Toshiro commented through a yawn as he headed for the couch. "You develop the tendency to act out of character on your beloved's behalf."

The buxom lieutenant glared at her captain indignantly, "I don't have a crush, taicho! Do I look like a lovesick schoolgirl?!" She asked through gritted teeth, not liking at all where the conversation was headed.

If it wasn't for Rangiku, Toshiro would not be standing where he stood right now. He treasured their sibling-like relationship more than he let on and he was not above teasing her on those rare occasions, they knew each other too well. Rangiku was always the one to go too in-depth with her personal life, and the fact that she was tiptoeing around this mystery man topic was undeniable proof that she was, in fact, seeing someone. Or at the very least, she was developing feelings for the mystery man. As long as Rangiku was happy, he was happy. Still, he'd at least like to know who this man was. Maybe he could coax it out of her one day if she showed up to the office inebriated.

Toshiro gave his lieutenant a long look before smirking. "You're impossible, you're aware of that, right?"

"I'm still your favorite~." She replied back with a sly smile, her agitated expression disappearing quickly.

He waved her off and threatened punish her if she did not return to her paperwork. Eventually, Hitsugaya stepped out for a meeting, leaving Rangiku by herself to finish up her work. Explaining her situation with Byakuya was exceedingly difficult because there was no logical way to describe what was going on. She was never a fan of the whole 'back and forth' spiel that was happening. He was a good man, that was undeniable, but the two of them were not on the same wavelength, per se.

Yet, she never felt as safe in anyone's arms as she did last night—even those frightful nights in the Rukongai as Gin held her shaking form paled in comparison to how Byakuya made her feel. Knowing how her presence in his life drew him out of his depression made her feel so elated for him—it made her feel like she had purpose again. The slightly accelerated thump of her heart was a telltale sign that what she felt for him was not entirely platonic anymore, but of course, she failed to notice. Hell, she had even sniffed her robe that morning because it smelled like him! She missed him already and it had only been twelve hours since she had last seen him. For whatever reason that was eluding her, Byakuya made her feel so good. Yet, it scared her frightfully. She hugged herself, once again craving his warmth.

"Byakuya…" she sighed to herself as she began to thump her forehead on her desk. She had quite a bit of thinking to do now.

* * *

"Get out of my office." Byakuya said calmly. He simply wanted to finish up several patrol reports and he neglected to close his window before a stray cat made her way in. Rukia had mentioned to him how in the World of the Living, seeing a black cat was a sign of bad luck. He had to admit that he was in agreeance with the superstition.

"I don't think I will, besides, it's more comfortable up here. Your head is quite soft despite you being such a hardheaded pain in the ass." Yoruichi Shihoin replied as she stretched out atop Byakuya's head, thankfully in her cat form.

"I will pull your tail if you do not move." Byakuya rarely pulled out this threat.

Yoruichi growled, "You wouldn't."

"Try me, Yoruichi Shihoin." He goaded calmly.

"Do that and I'll transform right now in all of my sexy glory, Byakuya-bo. All over your head." The cat replied back languidly through a yawn.

Byakuya sighed in displeasure. Having a cat on top of his head was mild in comparison to having a naked woman instead. It would depend on who the naked woman was, he reasoned to himself as he continued writing his reports. Yoruichi was genuinely surprised that Byakuya dropped the topic so easily, under normal circumstances he would have forced her off of him immediately. After an extended length of time, he realized that Yoruichi hadn't said a word—such a thing was concerning. He felt the cat jump off of him and land on his desk.

"You smell funny." The cat said pointedly. She had known that Byakuya was going through it and made it a point of dropping by every so often to check in on him, and she happened to notice that his aura was off a bit.

Byakuya looked insulted. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me—you smell funny. Different, even."

"I hope you are not trying to insinuate that I am dirty." Byakuya had bathed the night before _and_ that same morning. He took pride in how he kept up his appearance.

"You smell like a lady. Whether or not if you bathed, I can still smell pheromones. _Female_ pheromones." Yoruichi rolled her eyes as she tip-toed across his desk. "I didn't know you were seeing someone, Byakuya-bo." A Cheshire-like grin enveloped her features.

"I am not." He said at once, and Yoruichi immediately noticed the slight tone of disappointment in his voice. Byakuya set down his writing brush and folded his hands over his mouth, wanting to obscure as much of his expression as possible.

"I know Rukia's scent and it isn't hers." Yoruichi commented as she jumped atop Byakuya's shoulder and sniffed at him, much to his displeasure. "You smell like sake and persimmons; neither of which you partake in." She shook slightly, ruffling her fur. "Rangiku-chan smells like persimmons, sometimes. Eats them like crazy. She'd always make Kisuke order a big box of them whenever she came by the shop." Yoruichi mentioned casually with a yawn, not realizing the closet of skeletons she had just opened.

Byakuya remained eerily quiet, his eyes downcast and Yoruichi's golden irises widened in disbelief. "Don't tell me…"

"…" His lips thinned to a tight line as he remained silent.

"You're dating Rangiku-chan?" Yoruichi exclaimed in astonishment as she pounced back on the desk. She had never even seen the two as much as look at each other since her return from exile, how was this even possible?

Byakuya pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers. Yoruichi was the last person he wanted to know about what he was up to, and the fact that she figured it out like that simply meant that he needed to be more discrete. Still, he knew that if he was serious enough, that she could trust the purple-haired vixen to keep quiet.

"I visited her apartment last night," he admitted and Yoruichi grinned as wide as a cat could at the innuendo, "but we do not have a relationship. We are… _friends._ " He uttered the final word of the sentence with thinly veiled distaste and Yoruichi noticed clearly.

"But don't you wish you did…?"

"Mind your own business, demon." He said tightly.

"I'm not mocking you, Byakuya-bo, jeez. Let me be happy for you." Yoruichi muttered in exasperation.

Byakuya glared at the cat in front of him and stayed silent.

"She's a good girl and I hope you don't screw up; just let her bring out the best in you and she'll notice." She pounced from his shoulder to the open window, perching on the windowsill before continuing. "Good luck, Byakuya-bo!" She said simply before disappearing in a flash.

Byakuya sighed deeply and rubbed his eyes, he did not sleep well last night. In fact, he could not even remember the last night he even slept properly at all. Rangiku plagued his entire being to its core. He finally had the opportunity to hold this woman and it wasn't for a good reason, yes, but he wanted— _needed_ so much more than that. Everything finally felt right in the world when he felt her in his arms.

"Rangiku-san…" he sighed her name longingly to himself.

He thought about Yoruichi's final words before she had left the room. _"Just let her bring out the best in you and she'll notice."_ What did that entail? Not only had he confessed his infatuation to her, he was already trying to prove his worth to her and who knew if that was actually working—the woman was as stubborn as a bull. Picking up a writing brush again, he just wanted to get through the rest of the week in peace.

* * *

Byakuya rubbed at the errant crick in his neck in annoyance as he leaned back in his desk chair. It had been three days since that night and he was restless with anxiety. He had neither seen nor heard of any sign of Rangiku and he couldn't help but feel sorry for himself. Thinking that he did a noble deed by entering her bedroom with her asleep in his arms was horribly inappropriate, and now he was paying the price for it.

"You may leave, Renji." He addressed his exhausted lieutenant who was hunched over at his desk. "Ichika is at the Manor with the nannies, you and Rukia should relax for the afternoon." The baby had been teething and the poor parents were suffering from severe sleep deprivation. Also, Byakuya just wanted to be left alone to sulk in peace.

After a giddy Renji shut the door behind him, Byakuya stood up and walked towards a window to gaze out at the sunset. The sun had colored his plain office in a lovely hue of red and gold. He felt so empty on the inside—lost without her and this was caused by a simple _hug._ The sight of her breaking down in his arms pained him so much, he wished that he could alleviate her of that pain. He wanted to see her again desperately, yet his actions that night undoubtedly made their situation awkward. The woman fell asleep on him crying over a dead man that he brought up in conversation, he doubted that she was in any mood to see him any time too soon.

The sun had almost halfway disappeared over the horizon and Byakuya decided to pass by the War Memorial to think. He was already across the room to pick up Senbonzakura from its stand before he heard several insistent raps on the door.

"Enter." He beckoned the visitor in, confused.

The door opened slowly and Byakuya felt his heart thud against his chest.

Rangiku poked her head in first and peered around until her eyes met his. The remaining glow of the sunset brightened the beautiful woman's flawless face and caused her hair to glow like a halo. The eyes that enraptured his soul every time he looked into them twinkled like flawless diamonds. She smiled softly at him as she fully entered the office, closing the door with a click and locking it as well. Byakuya's eyes widened as his eyes watched her lock the door. What was about to happen?

"Hey, handsome." She greeted him, tilting her head ever so slightly. Her dazzling smile damn near blinded him.

His throat was painfully dry, and he opened his mouth to reply. "Hello…" he managed to utter out, and he wanted to kick himself for sounding so pathetic. She looked amused for a fleeting moment, and she started her painfully slow stroll over to where he was standing in front of his desk.

Byakuya stared in amazement at the woman as she stood mere inches in front of him. It was laughable how this woman could reduce a man who had lived through two wars and survived a painful near-death experience to speechlessness.

"That was the part where you're supposed to say, 'Hey, sexy' or something like that, you know?" Rangiku waved a hand in his face in an attempt to bring him back to earth. The man's pale skin tinged slightly with a blush and he raised a hand to his mouth, clearing his throat awkwardly.

Rangiku snickered to herself and reached for that same hand. "I'm not going to bite, Kuchiki-taicho." She grasped his wrist lightly in her hand, and Byakuya couldn't help but jump slightly.

Byakuya was already freaking out on the inside, thankfully his outward expression was more or less confused. Before he could even process what was happening, Rangiku wrapped her other arm around his waist and brought herself into him, resting her cheek on his shoulder. She hugged him silently for a moment before she spoke again. "You're probably wondering what the hell I'm doing to you, aren't you?" she sighed into his neck, her breath sending shocks throughout his body.

"I cannot complain, a beautiful woman has me in her embrace. May I…reciprocate?" He found his voice again, thankfully. Byakuya refused to look foolish around her any longer.

"Knock yourself out, hon." she laughed lightly, and Byakuya freed his hand from hers and embraced her by the small of her back. He held her reverently in his arms in silence, treasuring every long second that had elapsed. As he rested his chin on her shoulder, he took in the scent of her shampoo—a very pleasant combination of coconut and pineapple was slowly intoxicating him into a trance. This sensation…this sensation of Rangiku in his arms was indescribable—he had to admit that it never felt like this with Hisana. Everything finally felt right in the world when he felt her in his arms—it felt like the pieces of an impossible puzzle finally clicked together. He was so mesmerized that he failed to notice Rangiku calling out to him until she jabbed a finger at his ribs.

"I'm not mad at you, if that's what you've been beating yourself up about."

Byakuya raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't—"

"I can tell when you're upset, Kuch—Byakuya." Rangiku interrupted him, reminding herself to establish familiarity with him by addressing him by his first name. "What happened that night, I needed it badly. I've learned that bottling up my emotions doesn't make them go away, and you were there for me in a moment where I'd usually be all alone." She confessed quietly as she leaned back from his embrace slightly, establishing eye contact.

The nobleman blinked owlishly in disbelief and stayed quiet. Rangiku took this as a cue to keep going. "You could have easily left, yet you stayed. I'm a girl with expensive taste, yet I do enjoy a man's chivalry now and again." she teased him with a wink that sent a chill down his spine.

"I am pleased to see that you feel better, I was concerned." Byakuya replied coolly after a moment, relieved that he had a response somewhat, yet he felt positively elated on the inside. Rangiku felt comforted by his presence! It seemed as if his fervent prayers were answered at last.

Rangiku snorted and pursed her lips. "You can drop the tough guy act when it's just us—I'd rather—ah!" she yelped when he suddenly drew her back into his embrace, almost squeezing the air out of her. He was only a few inches taller than her, so when he suddenly leaned back and lifted her up, her toes lightly dragged across the wooden floor. One of his hands snaked its way into her hair, gently forcing her head down to his shoulder. Rangiku couldn't help but giggle under her breath, he was adorable when he loosened up a bit and acted _normal._

Byakuya was suddenly overcome with a rush of emotion and impulsively grabbed at Rangiku. The embarrassment slowly started to creep up on him and he backed away, staring at her. "I apologize for that…" he bowed his head, ashamed at not keeping himself under control.

"Eh? I told you to stop beating yourself up, didn't I?" she raised her voice at him, pinning him with a displeased glare. She poked a finger at his chest. "There's nothing wrong with hugging! Loosen up!"

The man in front of her gave her a long, blank look before he smiled. He had a stunning smile, she thought to herself as he placed a hand on each of her shoulders. "I would like to be able to do that more often, if that pleases you." In his Byakuya-like splendor, he attempted to sound cool, yet Rangiku picked up on the tone of longing in his deep voice.

She smirked playfully and gestured with a 'come hither' finger, and Byakuya reflexively responded by enveloping her in his arms again. Byakuya was wearing that same cologne again, and its masculine, yet sweet aroma made her feel weak in the knees. Her forehead rested atop his shoulder and she absorbed the affectionate gesture, putting her into a slight daze. She felt that feeling again. The feeling that had been eluding her for what felt like centuries. The feeling that now finally had a proper definition to it.

 _Comfort._

After what felt like hours, she lifted her head from his shoulder and looked up at him. Byakuya had a soft expression on his face, his dark gray eyes were warm and inviting, earnest to do right by her. She slowly loosened a hand from around him and placed it on his smooth, yet flawless cheek.

"I appreciate you." She said with a slight smile before she placed a long kiss on his cheek. Byakuya's heart started to thump wildly when he felt her lips on his face. He almost couldn't believe what was happening—this woman was finally starting to understand that he meant every sweet nothing that he said to her.

Rangiku snickered as she watched the man's face flush considerably and stroked the area she kissed with her thumb. "You're a good man, Byakuya, and you totally have a heart of gold. I hope that one day you'll see this for yourself too, and I want to be the one to help you achieve that. Let me be your confidant and friend, and we'll call it even, no?" She cocked an elegant eyebrow, teasing him as she playfully poked him on the nose with her index finger.

She was probably the only living person in history to get away with an action like that. Rangiku squeezed him back into a quick hug again, this time Byakuya was too dazed to reciprocate it, still drunk from the sheer impossibility of it all.

She then slowly backed away from his grasp and opened the door. "I'll see you soon, 'kay~?!" she winked at him before she left.

Byakuya marveled at the woman as she spoke and stood rooted to the same spot for quite a while after she left, thinking about the current change of events. She kissed him—on the cheek, yes, but it was still a kiss—and called him _friend_. Since when did friends do such things? Yoruichi used to playfully kiss him when they were children, yet her motivations for that were to piss him off and get a rise out of him. This situation with Rangiku was a direct contrast to that. Maybe she was confused? He felt his chest tighten painfully at the thought of Rangiku doing these things with other men.

Everyone knew that Rangiku was a very playful and flirtatious woman with men and women alike, but he wanted her affections solely for himself. He could not stand by and be satisfied with just being friends, but he hated the idea of pressuring her into anything beyond that. He sighed annoyance and gathered his things to leave for the afternoon, deciding to spend time after dinner to plan his next move.

* * *

 **Hey everybody! I would like to consider this chapter as a transition chapter into the next stage of Byakuya and Rangiku's budding friendship—thanks for reading and please review! I like reviews quite a bit, they make me feel…accomplished.**


	5. Love Divine

Chapter 5: Love Divine

* * *

 _One year later…_

Friend.

 _Friend._

It had been a little over a year since Rangiku Matsumoto had friend-zoned Byakuya Kuchiki, easily the handsomest and most eligible bachelor in the Soul Society, who just so happened to have a crush on her.

He wasn't deterred by that, however. Byakuya often invited her over for tea late at night in his quarters at the 6th Division barracks, probably the only place that they could meet discreetly. His quarters were located in a separate building behind his office, but there was a backdoor near the woods that she used to come and go without being seen. His quarters were inaccessible to anyone but him, and now her.

Rangiku thought back fondly to the first night that he had invited her over. She had a nagging feeling that he was going to attempt to try and coerce her into sleeping with him, but he merely sat down on the couch next to her and pressed a hot mug of tea in her hands, content with listening to whatever she felt like discussing.

Whether she was gossiping, talking about the latest fashions, or even just crying after a long emotional day, he listened intently. Byakuya Kuchiki was probably the first person that she could actually prattle on to about near anything and he would always listen. After two months, she insisted that he speak about himself. The man was hesitant at first, but slowly started to open up to her. Whether he was complaining about the incompetency of his subordinates or even just being frank about his emotions or feelings, she was a beacon of encouragement to him.

Their meetings always began and ended with a long, _platonic_ hug between the two, quickly becoming Rangiku's favorite aspect of their meetings.

She had warmed up significantly to being close with him, but the logistics of their situation were not ideal. Rangiku was Rukongai born with the lowest pedigree possible and Byakuya was head of the richest clan in the entire Soul Society. She often wondered what he saw in her, a woman from the streets who made it to where she was due to pure tenacity and dumb luck. Rangiku debated frequently with herself about what the extent of her feelings were for Byakuya, yet she had spurned his advances out of fear. Now, here she was, confused.

"You're finally here at last." a male voice greeted her as she closed the door behind her.

Rangiku slid off her sandals and placed Haineko on a nearby rack before stretching. "I wouldn't miss this for the world, silly. It's been way too long." She scolded Byakuya jokingly before he suddenly took her into a hug from behind. Rangiku instantly melted into his embrace, the fatigue of a long reconnaissance tour instantly fading away. This man was damned good at everything he did. "I haven't washed my hair yet." she pouted at him.

Byakuya closed his eyes and nuzzled his face into her neck, uncaring of the fact that she had just returned to civilization after three weeks. He needed her in his arms _now._ This was the longest that they had been apart since that afternoon a year ago and he had missed her terribly. He felt her turn in his arms and wrap her arms around his neck. "Anxious, are we? It's only been three weeks and it's not like I didn't send you a Hell Butterfly every day." She teased him with a laugh, the sound further entrancing him.

"It is not the same as having you here." His arms tightened around her gently. "Do not leave again." Byakuya often thought about making an official request for Rangiku to become his lieutenant and send Renji to Hitsugaya. His brother-in-law could benefit from the boy's work ethic.

"You don't want my captain coming after you if I did that." she rubbed his back soothingly. "He'll freeze half of your barracks looking for you."

"Then let him come. You're worth the impending struggle." He leaned back and looked into her eyes, brushing away a strand that had hitched on her nose.

The man's onyx colored irises entranced her the same way as they did a year ago. His honeyed words made it abundantly clear that his feelings for her had not changed since their first encounter, yet hers had. To what extent, Rangiku was not quite sure. She had a feeling that she would soon have to evaluate how she felt as well, if she truly felt anything at all.

Her eyes had drifted down to his lips, parted ever so slightly and looking ever so inviting for hers. Would such an action be untoward? She fretted slightly, a small frown marring her delicate features.

"What is troubling you? Rangiku-san?" He called out to her, disrupting her musing as Byakuya laced his hands together at her waist. His expression remained stoic as usual, but she knew that he was concerned. If you knew Byakuya as well as she did, he was quite the open book when it came to his emotions.

"I'm fine, just a bit tired, that's all." she lied as she patted him on his shoulder reassuringly. "I'll make tea."

* * *

One hour later, they had tucked into a pot of tea, finally sitting in silence next to each other on the couch after she finished telling him everything about her assignment. A rhythmic pitter patter of rainfall blowing against the windows was soothing, even. The Kuchiki clan head had this woman back home and he was finally at peace. Relaxing felt very good, and he had to do more of it. Hopefully in her company.

"I've missed you so much…"

The hand that held Byakuya's tea froze in midair when he heard her speak those words. He looked over at her and noticed her embarrassed expression, as if she had to force herself to admit to this. The only source of light in the room came from the fireplace that they sat in front of on the couch, the flames casted deep shadows on her face. She traced patterns on the couch cushion in between them, her face pensive.

"…I've missed you more." He replied back simply, amused at the smile that tugged at her lips. That smile was replaced by a resounding yawn, and her eyes drooped considerably. As much as Byakuya wanted to spend time with her now, she came to his quarters as soon as she finished her report and she was undoubtedly exhausted. He'd let her rest for the night and then they could catch up another time. "You need to rest, I can tell that you're exhausted."

"I told you that I'm fine," she argued back half-heartedly. "I want to be here with you now and I haven't seen you in nearly a month. You're not getting rid of me that easily, Byakuya. I won't let you…" another yawn was wrenched from her mouth.

Byakuya would've loved to hear her say that if she didn't yawn after every other word. He stood up with a grunt and was about to inform her that he'd escort her home before a flash of lightening illuminated the room. The slight rain that had been falling had just become a vicious torrent, rainwater slapping against the window. Byakuya pulled the curtain aside to look at the weather and knew that they would not be going anywhere anytime too soon. He heard Rangiku approach him and she peaked under his arm.

"Oh, damn." She pouted at the downpour, realizing that she didn't have a cloak on her. "I'm gonna get soaked…" she attempted to hide the tremble in her voice, she hated thunderstorms.

Byakuya left the window and strolled towards the bedroom. "Nonsense, you will not attempt to traverse through that weather, you will stay the night here." He heard her noise of protest and halted at the doorframe, unnoticing the blush on her cheeks.

Knowing that the argument was lost, she complied. "Fine." she muttered under her breath as she approached the couch, picking up extra cushions to throw in the corner.

"What are you doing?"

"I never knew why you had so many decorative cushions." Rangiku commented as she tossed another one away, "I'm sleeping here, aren't I?"

"Not on the couch…" he replied as he disappeared into the bedroom. "You deserve more than just a cheap couch, Rangiku-san." He came back into the living room after a moment with a set of blankets for himself. "Please take the bed, and I will sleep here."

Rangiku eyed the couch to avoid Byakuya's intense gaze. "This isn't even cheap." she muttered as she fingered the expensive tassels on the armrest. "This can cover my rent for half a year."

"Rangiku-san."

"Fine! Okay, I'll take the bed." she threw her arms in the air dramatically and swept past him. "I need a bath first and I don't want you peeping on me!" The door slammed in his face, and he heard when the shower turned on. All Byakuya could do was shake his head, smiling to himself.

Coming home to this every day would be a dream.

* * *

Byakuya squirmed fitfully on the couch, it was several inches too short and he knew he'd be sore in the morning. The living room lit up with a flash of lightening and he winced at the sound of striking thunder. It seems that the storm was directly over the barracks now. He was about to attempt to fall back asleep before he heard whimpering.

" _Rangiku."_ He thought to himself as he immediately stood up and headed to the closed bedroom door. He knocked on it twice and called out to her, but only heard muted cries in response. Byakuya decided to deal with the consequences of barging in on her in the morning and opened the door.

She was tossing back and forth, tangled in the sheets. He could hear her mumbling incoherently as she flailed about. In the moonlight, he could see the tears streaking her cheeks, it was obvious that she was having a nightmare. Detangling her from the bedsheets took several moments and before he knew it, he sat her up, leaning against the headboard of the bed and cradled her in his arms, rocking her back and forth until she calmed down.

"I'm right here." He whispered as she trembled violently again. He hated seeing her like this, such a strong, beautiful woman did not deserve to struggle with such feelings. Byakuya knew he was no better, but he made the genuine effort to be there for her as a steady presence in her life, whether she wanted it or not. Her trembling eventually subsided after a while, and her breathing steadied to a normal rhythm. Byakuya felt a slight pang in his chest knowing that his job was finished and started to shift Rangiku back to bed.

"Stay…with me." A muffled voice beckoned to him.

He blinked at the noise and looked at woman currently in his arms. Rangiku was now awake but had a dazed look to her. She clutched at his arm possessively, gently pushing him down until he was on his back and before cradling up against him, tucked under his arm. He felt her entangle her legs with his and nuzzle her face into his chest. One steady breath from her and she sighed against him, once again asleep.

Byakuya felt an emotion that he still was very unfamiliar with—anxiety. Rangiku was not in her right mind and practically forced him to stay in bed with her, surely there would be another argument once she was to awake. Yet, the sensation of a warm, soft body next to him in bed was too tantalizing to ignore, especially from the woman who he was so taken with—it had been too long. He was comforted with the fact that he had flawless self-control, any lesser man would attempt to subject her to their base pleasures.

Sleep was a foreign idea as of now, so he opted to watch the woman of his affections finally sleep peacefully. Rangiku was already a formidable beauty as it was, but the woman was simply dazzling in her slumber. Her head fell back on her pillow slightly and her lips parted with a sigh. Obsidian irises immediately zeroed in on her smooth, plump lips and he felt the aching desire to press his to hers and to never let go.

Was it even possible to obsess over her even more than he had before?

Taking a chance, he gently brushed golden strands of hair from her cheek and pressed a long kiss to it.

* * *

Rangiku was not a morning person at all, she was a proud night-owl and unafraid to admit it. She could feel the sunlight's warmth on her face and reflexively turned away from it, but her face bumped into something. She eyes opened languidly to see a muscled male chest in her direct line of sight. She glanced up to see that Byakuya was lying on his side still fast asleep, his face surprisingly placid and calm. Rangiku couldn't help but smile at the innocence of it all. She looped an arm around his waist and buried her face in his chest, closing her eyes and savoring his scent. Regret could be saved for the next day.

Byakuya, in actuality, hadn't slept at all. The thought of Rangiku having another nightmare was enough to keep him awake, so he opted to watch her sleep instead. She was even more beautiful in her slumber and holding her in his arms as she slept away was a privilege. He felt her awaken and snuggle herself closer to him.

"Good morning." he greeted her after a while, and her eyes shot open.

Rangiku didn't detangle herself from his comfort. "You're up." She commented through a yawn.

His onyx colored eyes looked exhausted. "I never slept." he answered her as he brushed several fingers through his hair. "You had a nightmare last night."

She froze, that explained why he was with her. It was amusing how she didn't even realize why the man was with her and obviously didn't have a problem with not knowing. Rangiku was embarrassed over her fear of thunderstorms; a light rain didn't worry her, but the rumble of thunder had haunted her since her childhood in the Rukongai.

Rangiku felt her heart flutter rapidly as the situation set in and as she started to form a recollection of last night. She remembered him rocking her back to sleep and holding her until she stopped shaking. _"Byakuya…"_ she thought to herself dreamily as she gazed at him.

"As long as you are alright, that is all that matters. I can catch up on sleep whenever I please after I attend to my duties." He continued as he made to regretfully get up from her embrace, fearing that he had overstayed his welcome, but her grip would not budge. Rangiku pulled him back down with her until they had resettled on the bed. He took note of how she wore one of his robes, a pastel green color which clung to her form enticingly.

She scooted up the bed and buried her face in his neck before throwing a long leg over his thighs. "Don't go." She whined as she yawned. "Stay here. Sleep. Screw work." Byakuya Kuchiki was a man of many qualities but being amazing at cuddling was something that she did not anticipate.

Byakuya was dizzy at the sensations his body was feeling at the moment and decided to throw caution to the wind and comply. He would send a Hell Butterfly to Renji later and feign a slight illness, and Rangiku wasn't expected to be on duty today, having come off a long-term mission. No one would think anything of it, he reasoned with himself as he turned on his side and draped an arm across her waist hesitantly. Rangiku reached over and tightened his hold on her waist, much to his surprise.

They were facing each other now, and Byakuya rested his chin on Rangiku's head, blissfully unaware of the stunt that she was about to pull in a moment.

His eyes had fluttered closed and his breathing had even out to a steady rhythm. Rangiku slowly eased her head out from under his chin and watched as he slept. Byakuya was a very handsome man, but he looked even more attractive when he didn't have his ever-present bored expression on his face. He looked youthful, and Rangiku had noticed how much healthier he looked since they had become close. A smile crossed her lips as she gazed at him wistfully and she reached out to brush a stray strand of hair from his face. She could sit here and do this all day, if she wanted.

She closed her eyes and sighed as she brushed her lips across his gently. A spark instantly shot through her body and for some odd reason, everything felt right in the world.

Byakuya didn't register the kiss at first, assuming that he was experiencing one of the many pleasant dreams he had that featured Rangiku. He reciprocated after a moment, brushing his tongue lazily across her lips, silently requesting access to the rest of her mouth and she eagerly complied. After what felt like hours, his charcoal grays opened lazily, then widened to the size of plates.

The blonde woman was still kissing him and sounds of pleasure escaped her mouth, but her eyes were closed, unaware that he had just woken up.

He had half a mind to slap himself to see if he was still dreaming. There was no feasible way that this was happening, Rangiku had made it clear from the start that an intimate friendship was as far as anything between them would go. Now the woman was kissing him in his sleep and by the looks of it, enjoying herself immensely. Throwing all caution to the wind and vowing to worry about the logistics later, he tightened his hold on her and rolled on top of her, deepening the kiss. He resolved to memorize every contour of her mouth—to burn the taste of her lips into his memory. This was, in fact, heaven.

Rangiku's eyes shot open after a few moments and she flailed away, mortified that she had gotten caught. She was able to get a decent kick in and the nobleman tumbled off of her and nearly fell from the bed, grasping onto the headboard at the last second to prevent this. This was only supposed to be an experimental peck, yet they had delved into an entire make out session! That in and of itself was humiliating enough, but the fact that she kissed him in his sleep without permission caused guilt to flow through her. He hadn't taken advantage of her in the past and look what she was doing now, the exact opposite.

Byakuya leaned up on his elbows and merely stared at the woman sitting on the bed next to him. With his normally neat long black hair sticking out in various directions coupled with the dumb look on his face, Rangiku would've cracked up with laughter if the situation wasn't so tense. Fighting the urge to lick her lips to taste his again, she spoke.

"Um, you're a really good kisser." She said lamely, her face a bright red. The Soul Society's worst apology.

Byakuya had a dazed look to his eyes as he regarded the woman before him, clad in his clothes and in his bed. He fully sat up now and stared at her and she fidgeted under his gaze.

"I cannot tell you in the proper words how I've wanted you to do that." He gazed at her longingly.

"…you're not mad? I just—I only wanted to see what it was like and got caught up in it all. That's all." She lied dismissively, ignoring the flutter in her chest. "Sorry about the kick…" she pursed her lips and turned her gaze away.

Byakuya gave her a reproachful look and overlooked the apology. "Do you not realize how difficult it is for me to look at you and not want to do the same thing?"

Rangiku had the decency to look scandalized. "Why didn't you just ask then?"

"That is inappropriate."

"It's just making out—I've made out with all sorts of guys before. Girls too." Rangiku commented flippantly, trying to downplay the situation. "So…you haven't made out with tons of sexy women before?" she asked tentatively, afraid of the answer that she was about to hear.

Byakuya sighed. "You are only the third woman that I have kissed." He admitted, unashamed at his lack of experience. Depriving himself of physical contact from the opposite gender for half a century scratches at you from time to time. "I would like to do so with you again, if it pleases you." He said meaningfully and scooted closer to her.

Rangiku blinked. _He wasn't upset?_

"I thought you'd be mad with me…"

"Rangiku-san," he narrowed his eyes at her. "I have made my infatuation towards you known over a year ago. Common sense would dictate that I would welcome your physical advances."

The 10th Division lieutenant rolled her eyes at the lecture. "Jeez, Byakuya—I can't tell you how much it pisses me off when you start speaking in essays." She was about to continue complaining about how he never wanted to loosen up, but Byakuya grasped her chin with his fingers. He leaned towards her and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips that had her aching for more. The man gazed at her through heavy eyelids before he spoke again.

"I've made my intentions abundantly clear quite a while ago. You must have forgotten."

Rangiku blushed viciously and flopped back to a lying position on the bed, drawing the covers over her head childishly. "Go back to sleep and stop speaking like that. It's too early." She muttered indignantly, hiding the action of her touching several fingers to tingling lips. This was something that she wouldn't mind happening again, but she knew that it would only lead her further into emotional disarray.

" _I never did forget…"_

Rangiku smiled to herself despite the situation and decided that sleep was more important that her feelings, closing her eyes and settling in.

Byakuya rolled his eyes at the childish display, somewhat annoyed at how the romantic moment was ruined. The fact that it happened was good enough for him and all he could do for now was to hopefully convince her to make this a regular occurrence. He merely chuckled and turned over on his side, sleep starting to take him into its embrace.

Patience was a virtue, after all.

* * *

 **Quite a number of you read the last chapter but did not review. It's very difficult to want to put out quality work if no one acknowledges it, so please review!**

 **I'm awful at writing lemons, so the rating will stay the same—maybe one day I'll suck it up and actually** _ **try**_ **haha.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	6. Worthy and Wonderful

Chapter 6: Worthy and Wonderful

* * *

 _Bleach_ belongs to Kubo, as always.

* * *

Rangiku Matsumoto's head swiveled around rapidly, frustrated that she could not see. "Where are we? I hope you're not trying to kidnap me and hold me hostage in a sex dungeon, Byakuya." She was currently blindfolded and clutching onto Byakuya's arm for dear life after a harried journey by shunpo. He picked her up as soon as she was out of work and insisted that she follow him, even tying something around her eyes to boot.

Byakuya silently reached behind her head with one hand and untied the piece of cloth with one movement. She rubbed her eyes for a moment before opening them. Rangiku realized that they were in one of the newer upper-middle class neighborhoods in the Seireitei that were built after the Quincy War. The houses were modest, ranging from one to three-story houses, and quite private as well. Several hundred yards separated each house from one another, it was completely possible to not even know who your neighbors even were due to the amount of privacy.

The house they stood in front of was a two-story home and painted in a pale green color with white trimmings. There were around a dozen trees on the front lawn, and she could see the outline of a bathhouse in the back. The front lawn was expansive as well, and the walkway to the house itself was made of cobblestone. Rangiku was perplexed, Byakuya was one of the wealthiest men in the realm, what business did he have here? This was considered upper class to her, but quite beneath him.

She looked at him with a twinkle in her eyes. "Whose place is this? Is there a party going on in there?" she asked. "I haven't had a good drink in forever." Rangiku was very excited at the possibility of alcohol being served. Byakuya couldn't help but shake his head slightly at his object of affection's obsession with alcohol.

"You have mentioned before how complicated it was for me to visit your apartment without being seen, as well as when you visit my quarters at the 6th Division barracks. Also, visiting my manor outside of official business obligations would be difficult as well." He began to explain in the monotone voice that Rangiku wished he'd drop around her. "So, I decided to remedy the solution the best as I could."

Rangiku looked scandalized. "So, it _is_ a sex dungeon!" she pointed an accusing finger in his face and faltered slightly at his reproachful stare.

"Rangiku-san…" Byakuya gazed at her with his smoldering coal colored eyes, quieting her instantly. He reached inside the pocket of his haori and produced a set of keys. Her jaw dropped as he took her hand and placed the keys in her palm. "This set is yours." He explained as he softly closed her hand.

"You did not just buy me a house…" she stammered out incredulously. They weren't even dating! What kind of person casually buys their _friend_ an entire house?!

"I bought _us_ a house." He corrected her with a nod as a hand dipped back into his robes, producing another set of keys. "This is so that we may be in each other's company privately, and without any fuss. I do hope it is to your satisfaction." Byakuya tried his hardest to seem blasé, but he could feel his hand tremble ever so slightly as he gauged Rangiku's reaction to this sudden change in events. He was always the type of man to take the initiative, and while he enjoyed visiting Rangiku at her place immensely, why not gift her with something better that they could both share and enjoy?

Rangiku was a healthy shade of beet red as she stared at the set of keys in her hand. _"Us?"_ the word repeated itself in her mind over and over. Byakuya watched her with amusement and held out an arm. "Let us take a look around our home, Rangiku-san. If you do not like it, I will purchase another suited more to your tastes." He opened the gate and motioned for her to walk through.

She took the offered arm hesitantly as she gaped at the home in front of her. Most guys usually bought women flowers, chocolate, jewelry, etc.— _not_ an entire house.

The two _friends_ slowly and silently made their way along the cobblestone pathway arm in arm, basking in the warmth of the sunset. Rangiku's bright eyes regarded the building in front of her—it was a beautiful home and she had to admit, it appealed to her tastes quite a bit. Yet the nagging thought on her mind was why Byakuya did something like this so soon? They had only been friendly for a little more than a year, and rich or not, this was very abnormal. She wondered fleetingly to herself if that kiss was misinterpreted and wanted to kick herself even more than she did that morning. The kiss was hot— _so, so hot_ —but a mistake all the same, and it seemed as if now she was paying for her weakness. Rangiku hated the thought of hurting this man's feelings because she couldn't get herself together.

She glanced at the man to her left and saw that he had on his usual look of indifference. Yet, his spiritual pressure was absolutely buzzing, almost as if he was bursting with anticipation. Her eyebrows furrowed, perplexed by this. Rangiku could always identify Byakuya's spiritual pressure, it reminded her of a cool, spring breeze—and what self-respecting lieutenant of the Gotei 13 couldn't identify something like that—but this was the first time that she could _feel_ it. The first that that she felt _him_.

This was something that she had never experienced before.

Byakuya glanced at her several moments later as if he felt the same sensation. Her spiritual pressure was like an intoxicating perfume; sweet, yet oh so very tantalizing. At some point in the past year, he would randomly seek out her spiritual pressure, just to know where she was. Most times she was at her home or in her office. Other times, she was at the local bar with her friends, much to his distaste. Sometimes, she'd even be at Kuchiki Manor, trespassing with her fellow women for their biweekly meetings. Yet, for some odd reason, something felt off. Her normally wave-like spiritual pressure started to feel as if it was rumbling. He could now feel that she was in deep thought, and it made little sense. Byakuya was a talented Shinigami, but he was no mind-reader.

He had never felt this way before.

* * *

"Who would've thought that a little kiss from me was worth an entire house?" Rangiku snickered at her own expense as she swiped a hand across the granite kitchen counter. The house was Western-style and she had to confess, Byakuya had good taste. The cabinets were a rich cherry wood that made the kitchen feel homey and lived in. The wooden floors were even heated, and Rangiku made sure to kick off her sandals as soon as she walked inside.

Byakuya poked his head in from the family room and pinned Rangiku with a piercing look. "Our home was in the works long before you decided to lavish my mouth with your tongue." He took silent satisfaction at the middle finger she gave to him and smiled ever so slightly. Her expression soon turned sullen and she hugged herself.

"This is weird. Really weird." She sighed to herself as she leaned against the counter.

"How so?" Byakuya inquired as he walked up to her, placing both hands on her shoulders.

"Byakuya." Her voice was admonishing him like a guilty child. She crossed her arms underneath her ample chest and tilted her head back in exasperation. "It's not normal to casually buy a house for, or with someone that you're—uh— _crushing on,_ no matter how rich you are _._ People usually don't do those things unless they're…" she trailed off, suddenly unable to finish her sentence with the word she was planning to use.

The nobleman in front of her merely reached out and gently pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I have already explained to you as to why I purchased this home for us. Spending time with the woman that I've come to care for immensely matters more to me than following the rules."

Rangiku clasped a hand dramatically to her ample chest. "You don't care about following the rules anymore? My goodness, I feel faint." she sighed as she slumped backwards into his arms, shivering at how he nuzzled his face into her neck and squeezed her tenderly. "Stop…" she whined half-heartedly as she wiggled in his embrace. Rangiku failed to realize the Pandora's Box that she opened when she kissed Byakuya; the man had become exceedingly affectionate with her in the weeks since then, and she didn't have the heart to stop him because she _liked_ it quite a bit.

She'd take a cuddly Byakuya over a taciturn Byakuya every day of the week. It was so weird to see how Byakuya could go from being cold and emotionless to such a thoughtful, affectionate man when they were in private. She saw a side of him that no one ever had, and she was secretly glad that she had this side of him all to herself. They hadn't kissed each other on the lips since that morning, and Rangiku found herself thinking about the kiss more often than she cared to admit to.

"We should explore upstairs, I want to see if you have a knack for interior design or not." She stepped away from his embrace quickly before making her way towards the stairs.

"The sex dungeon, you mean?" Byakuya retorted mockingly as he followed her. He was startled when she stopped at the foot of the stairs suddenly and turned.

"Dungeons aren't meant to be upstairs, a dungeon would have to be in a basement or something." she rolled her eyes at the man before placing a hand on his cheek. She then traced her fingers slowly down his neck and down his chest. "But we could christen it as such, if you want." she whispered as she took another step forward, her blue eyes glinting mischievously. She pressed herself into him ever so slightly, and Byakuya felt his blood run cold. "All…night…" she giggled into his ear before nipping at it with her lips. Rangiku loved teasing Byakuya, his blushing and awful attempts at keeping a straight face were absolutely adorable.

Byakuya's jaw was slack with shock. He was smitten with Rangiku for a variety of reasons—her beauty, her intelligence, her sense of humor, etc.—, but her being a consummate temptress tested him on a near daily basis. His hands clenched together in fists as he silently contemplated his life decisions before she broke down into raucous laughter. Rangiku was now hunched over, hands on her knees as she absolutely howledwith glee.

"Oh, you should see your face!" she exclaimed as she sat herself down on one of the steps, howling with glee. She noticed his silence and looked up at him to see that he was staring down at her blankly. Although Rangiku learned to read Byakuya's body language quite well, there was something about his reaction that she simply could not place. He did not look annoyed, but he didn't look pleased, either. If anything, the man looked quite dispirited. She thought about trying to sense how his spiritual pressure felt like she did earlier, but ultimately decided against prying too much.

"Byakuya? You alright?" she called out to him, standing up as she waved a hand in his face. He suddenly jolted back to reality with slightly widened eyes and took her hand in his squeezed it softly. Rangiku ignored the jolt of what felt like fire go through her body and stared at him.

"I am fine. I was just…thinking about something." He answered her as he stepped around her and walked up the stairs. Rangiku frowned as the man disappeared around the corner and sighed as she followed him. Such a moody man, he was…

* * *

"And that's the whole house." Byakuya announced as he pressed a glass of wine into Rangiku's hands. "As I said, if this doesn't satisfy you, I can easily buy another house. Several, if you wish." He was completely serious, he would buy out the entire neighborhood the second she asked that of him.

Rangiku couldn't help but laugh. "I wish that I could say something like that so casually." She sipped at the wine, a very tasty white wine. Stepping out onto the veranda that overlooked the backyard, she sighed. "You didn't have to do this."

"I wanted to."

"Why?"

"Because I wanted to make you happy." His voice lowered ever so slightly as he approached her, his face now inches from hers. "You deserve this and much more; and if it's within my power, I want you to have everything that I could possibly provide for you."

Rangiku gave him a meaningful look before turning away to face the garden. "The lengths that you go for me, it's borderline absurd, Byakuya. I wish you cared about yourself as much as you care about me."

"Then you would be asking for quite a bit, because I care for you immensely." He stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I make the effort for you so that you don't have to exert any of your own. You are worth it."

"Byakuya…" Rangiku sighed and she couldn't help but smile ever so slightly at his sweet words. "What's the real reason you bought this place? I know you have an ulterior motive, and I'm no fool. We haven't had any serious problems with meeting up before and it's been a year already, so you might as well tell me the truth."

The nobleman next to her turned away and finished off his glass of wine. "I want you to move here." He blurted out as he served himself another glass and drank from it deeply, mostly to loosen himself up a bit. "I bought this house and the lands with it with the intention of you living in it permanently."

Rangiku sighed in exasperation after several long moments as she too served herself another glass of wine. "We both know that cannot happen." To pack up her life and run into this house that she didn't even know about until an hour ago, it was too much to process. Even then, she would be living in his humongous house all by herself since Byakuya obviously had his own mansion. It would be weird being roommates with him, anyways…

"If you would just consider—"

"No." Rangiku cut him off firmly, but her tone soon softened. "Look, I appreciate everything you've done for me, but this is…this isn't something that is supposed to happen like that." She looked away from his saddened expression before his eyes could convince her to change her mind. Leaning heavily against the bannister on the veranda, she swirled the contents of her glass around in deep thought. "I don't mind hanging out here—this place is amazing, it really is. I just think that your intentions are a bit… _excessive_. Sometimes, money can't buy everything."

Byakuya's eyes never left her face as she spoke, and he felt the telltale signs of dejection start to set in. He waited day in and day out for the right moments to prove his worth to her, and nothing seemed to work. If anything, his methods seemed to push her way, but never completely. Never once had Rangiku ever completely spurned his advances, which simply meant there was some degree of interest on her part. Yet, she seemed to admonish him and flirt with him all at once, it was quite puzzling. Not only that, it was heartbreaking as well. Even the slightest negative response from her caused a horrible sinking sensation in his chest. Rangiku affected him in ways that he couldn't even fathom himself.

He jolted slightly when he felt her knuckles brush against his face tenderly, and the gentle smile she gave him made his heart flutter with longing. Could she not see how much she meant to him?

"You're my best friend, and I don't want you stressing yourself out over trying to make me happy—just enjoy what we have, please?" she sipped at her wine again. "You've got to tell me where you got this stuff…" she eyed the bottle that she left on a small table next to her. Byakuya stayed eerily silent, and Rangiku turned back to him with concern.

"Are you alright?" she asked of him yet again.

He nodded slightly and murmured something about exploring the den further, and she followed him with excitement. Yet there was a single phrase that kept ringing in his ears, a phrase that would most likely keep him awake at night for the next several days.

 _Best friend._

* * *

Cold.

So, so cold.

Byakuya turned over on his side and brushed a hand on the empty side of the bed forlornly, wishing that she was there. He had grown accustomed to sleeping alone since his wife's passing, but now he once again craved the warmth of a woman next to him in his slumber. To meld his body onto a curvaceous feminine figure as they slept away in bliss. To wake up, nestled in a comfortable embrace. He needed _her_.

In his mind's eye, he saw her blonde tresses splayed out like a halo on her pillow as she grinned playfully at him. He saw baby blue gems twinkling with mirth and he could hear her melodious laugh. He could also hear those small mewls she made in her sleep as she tossed around listlessly and kicked at him. She turned onto her stomach and rested her head on her hand, swinging her legs back and forth playfully as she winked at him. Her pink lips smiled gently and opened to speak.

" _You're my best friend."_

He felt himself shake his head softly in defeat, and the picturesque image of her next to him dissipated into darkness. Worst case scenario, if in fact that Rangiku failed to return his affections, would a friendship even remain as a feasible option? Byakuya had to remind himself daily not to dwell on such a possibility, but the fear in him about his feelings being unrequited troubled him quite often. The past year with her in his life was complete bliss, and the thought of all of that ending made his stomach churn uncomfortably.

Yet, Rangiku initiated a kiss with him, which would logically mean that she had feelings for him, wouldn't it? Her mouth tasted divine, and he was craving for her more and more each day. He loathed the idea of pushing further advances on her and buying her an entire villa didn't work out and anything else would only serve to drive her away further.

Eventually, sleep was able to claim him, but not as deep as he would have preferred. His sixth sense picked up on a disturbance some time later and his eyes opened immediately. As a soldier with senses honed with experience, he immediately shot up in the bed. Blinking wearily, he saw a sight that was too good to be true, but he soon realized that he was not dreaming at all.

There she was in all of her splendor, laying on her back and snoring softly on top of the sheets next to him. She was clad in the lavender night robe that he bought for her several weeks ago as a present.

When did she get here?

He decided to spend the night at the new house a week after introducing it to Rangiku. Byakuya felt the need to get away from clan responsibilities and he needed time to think, yet he did not expect her to come back here any time too soon. A hand reached out to her on reflex, brushing golden tresses from her forehead. The woman shifted ever so slightly into his touch, and aquamarine orbs fluttered opened to gaze upon him.

"Hey." she yawned as she turned over on her side to face him. "Couldn't sleep?"

He nodded silently, contented with just observing at her. Gods, this woman…

"Me either. Come back and lay down with me." Rangiku reached out and tugged at his hand, beckoning him to lay beside her. He immediately sank into her embrace and snuggled into her warmth, groaning softly under his breath. The sensation of her arms wrapped around his body, the steady beat of her heart against his chest, the sweet scent of her hair…the sensory load was overwhelming. How could she make him feel this way so effortlessly?

"It's the middle of the night, why have you come here?" he finally asked after several minutes of indulging in her balminess. He felt Rangiku shift ever so slightly, and her hand slunk over his bare chest to where his heart was. Her touch was searing hot and he could feel white hot fire flow through his veins, and it took everything within him to keep his composure together.

"Well, I hate tossing and turning all night like I was, being restless and all." she replied as she drew patterns on his chest with her fingers. "Figured you'd be here, and I thought you were already asleep. So, I just…" she paused a moment to draw the covers over their bodies.

"Just what?" he asked with bated breath.

"I…" he felt her shudder slightly. "I didn't want to be alone right now. I wanted to be here with you, Byakuya." She confessed softly. Her nightmares weren't giving her any reprieve, so she came to the safest place she could think of.

"I see." Byakuya drew her even closer to him, entangling his legs with hers and resting his forehead in the crook of her neck. "The feeling is mutual, I crave for your warmth during these cold nights. Especially now of all times." She shivered when she felt the deep rolling rumble of his voice.

"Don't cop a feel now, Mr. Sentimental—I'm still a lady." She warned him half-heartedly as she drew lines with her fingers along his spine with her other hand. Byakuya never once tried to touch her in such a way and she wouldn't be surprised if the thought had never occurred to him. Such a model gentleman he was.

"Hmm." Byakuya hummed as he felt himself begin to drift off again. Her timing was impeccable, but then again, everything about Rangiku was impeccable. He eventually felt her turn her back towards him and draw his arm tighter around her midsection. The both of them couldn't help but marvel at the fact that they fit into each other perfectly—every single curve of Rangiku's body flowed seamlessly with Byakuya's toned form.

"You're so warm…" Rangiku commented through a yawn as he fingers danced about Byakuya's toned arm. "You're like a fluffy teddy bear, all warm and snuggly…I like it a lot. Makes me feel safe."

Byakuya cocked an eyebrow at Rangiku's half-asleep words and chuckled under his breath.

* * *

Rangiku jolted awake suddenly on her back, slightly disoriented. Blinking the sleep from her eyes rapidly, she looked down and sighed in relief. Byakuya was still there. The man's arm was wrapped around her as snugly as they were before they went to sleep. Turning her head, she noticed how his eyes now fluttered open, silently regarding her.

"Morning!" she chirped happily at the man, still relieved that he kept his promise to her.

"Rangiku-san." Byakuya stifled a yawn as he greeted her. This was probably the most well-rested he had been in quite a while. He shifted onto his stomach, absorbing the sight next to him. Her hair was splayed about the pillow messily and he could even see a line of dried drool on the corner of her lips. A kind smile and teasing blue eyes stared right back at him.

She looked utterly gorgeous.

"Did you sleep well?" he questioned her.

"Yeah. For once, finally." She arched her back and stretched. A calendar was on the wall next to her and after squinting at it, she realized that it was Saturday. No work, which meant that she could stay here all day if she wanted to. She reached forth and stroked Byakuya's cheek, giggling slightly at how he leaned into her hand. "And that's all thanks to your efforts, big guy." she said genuinely, smiling softly at the slight tinge of red on Byakuya's cheeks. The man cleared his throat and even looked bashful, much to Rangiku's amusement. She jumped slightly when she felt a moistened thumb rub at the side of her mouth.

"You drool quite a bit in your sleep." He commented as his thumb inched closer to her mouth, undoubtedly searching for more dried spittle to rub away. "For once, someone has surpassed my niece in that manner." Against his better judgment, he gently flicked his thumb across her bottom lip slowly.

Rangiku pouted at him and swatted his hand away, ignoring the jolt of heat through her body from his sensual touch. "Ichika-chan is such a cutie, even though her uncle is a such a grumpy old man."

Byakuya's eyes narrowed at her. "If I recall correctly, you are several years older than me. What does that make you then?"

The blue-eyed beauty immediately shot up in bed and glared at him. The Gotei 13 as a whole was well aware that any reference to Matsumoto-fukutaicho's age were ill advised, but Byakuya did not fear her wrath. If anything, she was quite endearing when she glowered at him. She crossed her arms and scowled at the wall opposite her, suddenly feeling ravenous.

"Is there any food here? I'm starving."

Byakuya nodded silently. Their house was fully supplied with everything that they could possibly need. Anything that she could possibly ever want.

"Alright then." Rangiku slid from Byakuya's warmth regretfully and walked towards the bedroom door. "I'll cook us up some breakfast." She winked at him. "Wipe that look off your face and come get some food!"

Byakuya listened to Rangiku's laugh as she pranced down the stairs before he flopped on his back, smiling softly at the ceiling. She did not realize how she was the light of his shadowy life.

* * *

Byakuya approached the dining table cautiously, he had forgotten about the stories of how Rangiku's cooking could reduce grown men to their knees. Granted, her culinary expertise (or lack thereof) wasn't as treacherous as Kurosaki's woman's, yet he did not want the experience to compare. On the dining table, there lay a pot of tea, fried eggs, rice, and a bowl of fruit. A simple breakfast by his standards, but seeing as how Rangiku prepared it, it might as well have been a feast fit for a king.

"I figured that you wouldn't be up to what I usually eat, so I decided to compromise." Rangiku commented airily she swept in from the kitchen, depositing two bowls of miso soup on the table. "Whoever invented the instant stuff is a miracle worker—there's no way that I could've made that from scratch." She sat herself down and immediately opened a jar of marmalade, spooning out two spoonfuls of the tangy jam into the soup. She brought a spoonful of soup to her lips and crooned in approval at the taste.

Byakuya eyed her concoction warily as he sat down, electing to start breakfast with a banana. "Rangiku-san, this is absolutely wonderful. Your efforts are recognized and appreciated." He complemented her frankly and she grinned at the praise. "Next time, I would like to do the same for you."

"You know how to cook?"

"I do not, but I will learn. It shouldn't be that difficult. Tell me what you want, and it will be done." He replied, unconcerned. Byakuya never needed to learn such domestic skills as cooking, but he was willing to try if it made her happy. Rangiku giggled at his nonchalant comment and the two settled into a peaceful brunch, conversing about many topics ranging from Rangiku's latest shopping trip to Byakuya's work week.

During a short bout of silence between them as they ate, Rangiku snuck a quick look at Byakuya. His hair loose down his back with a few loose strands framing his face and his sleeping robe was loosened at the chest, showing off his toned form. Such a placid expression enveloped his features as he busied himself with eating his rice, and Rangiku never realize how she truly appreciated when Byakuya let down his hair sometimes and relaxed, both literally and figuratively. Only she was allowed to see this side of him, and a small part of her wished that she would be the last.

Byakuya was nearly finished with his rice before he heard a tapping noise. Looking up, he saw that Rangiku was tapping her chopsticks against her bowl, staring right at him. She looked utterly adorable with her hair tugged into two small pigtails. Rangiku hadn't even bothered to dress for the day and yet she looked so beautiful.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Nah, I was just thinking, that's all." Rangiku reassured him as she turned her seafoam blue gaze onto him. She set the chopsticks down and folded her hands underneath her chin. "I love how normal this is, you know? We're just enjoying a nice Saturday morning brunch with each other. This is something that I've always wanted to do, just be regular." She tilted her head to the side and gazed at him warmly. "I love how I woke up next to you and the first thing that I thought about was you, and not if I'd be fighting for my life that day." She continued as she gave him such a genuine and dazzling smile that Byakuya felt his heart leap several times in his chest with happiness at her words.

Byakuya looked into her marvelous sapphire eyes and noticed something different about them. There was a touch of fondness in her gaze, as if she was looking at him in a different light now. He wondered if she was looking at him as how he gazed upon her.

"Do you really think of me often?" he found himself asking before he could stop himself.

Rangiku nodded enthusiastically after she drank a few sips of tea. "Yeah, I do. I think about what you're up to when I'm not around, and I even think about what ticks you off so that I can go out of my way to do it." She laughed at his slight frown. "That doesn't creep you out or anything, right?" she questioned quickly, fearing that she was revealing too much.

Byakuya crossed his arms across his chest and closed his eyes. "The farthest from it, for I do the same with you. Yet I find myself thinking about how I can make you happy instead." He opened his eyes again and his dark eyes glinted. "I think of your smile as often as I can, and what I could do to see more of it."

"Aw!" Rangiku clutched a hand to her chest and bounced happily in her seat. "That's so cute!" She folded her hands together and leaned forward. "You know, I'm glad I showed up here. I was second guessing myself on the way here, but you really came through for me when I needed you the most." she blew a kiss at him and winked, and he fought the sudden urge to catch her kiss mid-air with his hand.

He gathered himself quickly before replying calmly. "This could possibly be a frequent occurrence if you were to move…" he trailed off as her visage suddenly darkened. Yikes, he said the wrong thing yet again.

"Byakuya, really? We're on this subject again?" She huffed as she sipped at her tea again, disappointed that the picturesque moment was now ruined. "I'm not going to uproot my life to live in this huge house by myself, waiting for you to grace me with your presence whenever you feel like popping in." It didn't matter whether or not she decided to come here in the middle of the night—visits were one thing, but actually _living_ here? That was simply out of order.

"And what made you think that I would not move here as well?" Byakuya's expression was just as impassive as it usually was. "My intention was for the both of us to live here. Together." He stressed the final word. "I was not quite sure how I was going to ask that of you yet, Rangiku-san."

Rangiku's jaw dropped in astonishment. She couldn't believe that Byakuya would consider doing such a scandalous thing. Surely his clan would notice and immediately look into it, and she did not want to be branded as a live-in harlot who spirited their clan head away.

The thought of waking up in the same house as Byakuya Kuchiki every morning was both tempting and terrifying.

"But what about Kuchiki Manor? Your family? You shouldn't leave them behind like that so suddenly." Rangiku questioned hastily. The idea of having a man abandon his ancestral home to cohabit with her was mind-boggling to even wonder about. What was Byakuya thinking?

Byakuya pried his eyes away from hers and stared down at the table, taking several deep breaths before he decided to speak on a topic that he never once wanted to address.

"I do not like living there anymore. The Manor is…depressing. I wake up to silence and my own servants and family members cower in my presence, although that is more my fault than theirs. Since Rukia's marriage, she's moved into her own residence and…the loneliness is suffocating, Rangiku-san. There are things that my extended family members and servants simply cannot provide for me, as much as they try to. And I do not wish to bear witness to that more than I am obligated to." His normal steely countenance weakened slightly, and Rangiku's heart ached at the vulnerability that he was showing. He raked a hand through his hair and cleared his throat, desperate to regain some semblance of control in the conversation.

"Last night, I was so cold, so… _lonely_ until you came here. I don't think you understand how I crave to be near you as much as I can. Your presence is therapeutic to me. I realized this many months ago and decided to take the initiative without taking into consideration of what you thought of this." He admitted softly. "Holding you in my arms is a privilege that I would be honored to have if I had the chance again."

"Byakuya…" she breathed out his name, the ache in her heart made her choke up a bit. This man, this wonderful man didn't deserve to feel this way. She felt awful about admonishing his attempts at mitigating his discomfort with his current lifestyle.

"I'm aware that asking this of you is selfish of me…and I agree. I had no justification in purchasing a home for us without your knowledge and coercing you into moving in. That was insensitive of me." His countenance was once again firm, that moment of weakness was simply what is was, a moment.

Obsidian orbs closed again, refusing to see the inevitable look of disdain on her face. Rangiku probably thought of him as a desperate fool for such a stunt like that. Byakuya couldn't help but jolt ever so slightly at the sound of her chair scooting back against the tile of the floor. Opening his eyes once more, he watched her stand and walk next to him and cradle his head into her bosom, stroking his hair softly. Byakuya couldn't help but succumb to her embrace and relax against her touch. Rangiku's caress was like a drug to him, only she could make him feel this way. Secure, appreciated, and _safe._

"If I had known all of that, I wouldn't have spoken to you in the way that I did." Rangiku murmured soothingly. She cradled his face, slightly rough with unshaved stubble in her hands and made him look up at her. "I never realized how this meant so much to you. How much I apparently mean to you." She pinched one of his earlobes teasingly. "And I'm just a big fat hypocrite for throwing a hissy fit as if I didn't sneak in here last night to sleep with you. I get lonely too, don't get me wrong—I'm just not used to anyone doting over me like you do. Sometimes it makes me feel uneasy because you could walk away at any minute now and I wouldn't know." She continued as her voice became softer and softer, abashed at her previous reaction.

Gin had provided for her in his own way, but almost always turned his back to her as soon as he did so. Rangiku couldn't help but feel consistently apprehensive whenever Byakuya did something meaningful for her, which was almost all the time. It was never her intention to run Byakuya's emotions through the ringer.

Byakuya gazed tellingly into her eyes as he turned his body to face her directly, making her stand in between his legs. "You cannot sneak into a home that you yourself own, especially when you have your own set of keys. And I would never step away from you, ever. Please, don't ever think of such things again." He finished with conviction in his voice as he grasped both of her wrists gently. Rangiku's reservations about him were no fault of her own, she had every right to protect herself. Byakuya then made it a personal goal to ensure that she knew that he'd always be there for her, no matter what happens.

"Wait…this place is in both of our names? Together?" Rangiku questioned with wide eyes, relieved that her insecurities were simply that.

A slight nod confirmed her suspicions. "Joint ownership. If anything should befall me that results in my demise, this property is solely yours." He winced as his earlobe was pinched harder, but it did not hurt him. Her eyes narrowed significantly, and she pinned him with a hard glare.

"Shut up. That won't happen." She said firmly. "We'll both make great memories and have fun here together, got it? I don't want to hear any of that morbid nonsense out of your mouth anymore." Those words sounded so familiar to her, and then she realized that she had told Gin the exact same phrase in their little shack, deep in the Rukongai, eons ago. Her throat suddenly dried, and she found herself unable to speak any further.

Byakuya lifted his arms and embraced her around her waist, his head resting on her bosom once again. Rangiku was a saint, there was something about her that could always turn his sadness around almost instantly. "Yes, Matsumoto-fukutaicho." His earlobe was once again accosted when he spoke her title, and his lips teased into a slight smile. Many people did not realize that Byakuya genuinely enjoyed needling and teasing people for sport. He could truly be himself around her. Byakuya had so much to be thankful for, and he had his arms wrapped around the most important of them all.

"Tell you what, I'll spend some nights here with you every week." She offered, a slight rose colored tint to her cheeks. "I…I mean if you want, obviously." Naturally, Rangiku really wanted to be wrapped in his arms as she woke up in the morning again, but a lady shouldn't come on as desperate.

Byakuya lifted his head and blinked incredulously at the woman before nodding, grateful for her suggestion. "I would be indebted to you for that." A chance to wake up in her arms once again was dangling right in front of him, he would have to be a fool to do the gentlemanly thing and decline.

"I guess we will both benefit from this, in a way. You'll scratch my back while I scratch yours." Rangiku commented with a small smile. "Waking up to you isn't a bad thing. You're damned good at cuddling, Byakuya. Just don't grab at my boobs or my ass in the middle of the night and everything will be peachy." She winked at him playfully.

"I cannot guarantee that." Byakuya replied casually, amused at Rangiku's horrified expression. She pinched his cheeks and stuck her tongue out at him as he attempted to flail away, and the pair laughed at the humorous situation.

Rangiku smiled softly and pecked him on his forehead with her lips chastely before pulling him from his chair by his hands. He stood to his full height and beheld her, entranced by the set of baby blues that felt like they were looking into his soul every time she gazed at him. She tilted her head to her right and nibbled on her bottom lip slightly, almost goading him into what he was about to do.

Byakuya couldn't help but lean down ever so slightly to kiss her lips—the slightest of experimental pecks—and was pleased to feel her lean in and kiss him back. The sparks that he felt were instantaneous the second his lips touched hers, and he couldn't help but sigh into the contact with her. Rangiku's kisses were alluring and sensual, yet quite amorous as well—it was difficult to describe it any less than being absolutely breathtaking. One of his hands held her chin so gently and the other stroked her upper arm leisurely, and she shivered at his touch. He'd been craving to kiss her properly since day one and he was grateful that she acquiesced. They parted for a brief second to breathe and Byakuya's sense of smell was immediately overwhelmed with an intoxicating combination of peaches and vanilla from her hair.

There was nothing shameful about indulging, Rangiku thought to herself as she locked lips with Byakuya. He was trustworthy, honorable, and no stranger to her at all. Plus, he was an amazing kisser. He had her in his life for over a year and he never once tried to force her into any sort of physical contact without her consent, and that was something that she appreciated immensely. His rugged, yet soft hands left a trail of heat wherever he touched.

Her hands drifted up his chest and rested on his neck as she continued to kiss him. Rangiku had always wondered what it felt like to kiss a man properly—to kiss a sober man who wasn't trying to shove his tongue down her throat. Byakuya's kisses were sweet and gentle, yet firm and desirable. She decided that she'd let him kiss her more often. There was no harm in that, right? Her whole body felt warm and tingly, as if Byakuya's touch blanketed her with his affections. Eventually, Rangiku pulled back and smiled such a brilliant grin at him.

"You were waiting to do that, weren't you?" her flirtatious tone was playful. She had been secretly waiting on him to kiss her again as well, but she would never admit to that. Rangiku licked at her reddened and kiss-swollen bottom lip and batted her eyelashes, and Byakuya felt a rush go through him at the sight.

Byakuya's eyes lowered, looking chastised as he gathered himself in. "Possibly." A slight flush was on his cheeks from the intimate act with her. "It felt as if you were as well. You seemed eager and I was more than willing to oblige." He smirked ever so slightly at her pout. Byakuya felt the vigor in which she reciprocated the kiss, he was no fool. Rangiku's pride prevented her from admitting to the fact that she was just as intoxicated from his touch as he was with hers. He reached forth and stroked her cheek with his thumb languidly, relishing the sensation of her smooth, alabaster skin against his thumb as he gazed at her lips.

A roll of blue eyes and a friendly smack on his forearm brought his attention back to her face and she walked past him. "I've always liked kissing cute guys and you are not an exception…but never mind that. I feel like taking a post-breakfast walk around the garden, are you up for it?" she flipped her hair teasingly and sauntered around the corner and out to the patio.

Byakuya watched her disappear through the door and followed with a significant pep in his step.

* * *

 **It's been a while! I'm back in school now, so I unfortunately won't be updating every 2 to 3 weeks as I usually do. Rest assured, I'm still writing even if I'm not updating, I just don't like to rush especially when I'm super busy. I made this chapter longer to make up for my extended absence, so I hope everyone likes it!**

 **Thanks for reading and please review!**


	7. Abide with Me

Chapter 7: Abide with Me

* * *

As always, _Bleach_ belongs to Kubo.

* * *

Rangiku stood in front of the bathroom mirror and carefully scrutinized her whole look, twirling around and checking all of her angles. She mussed up her hair a bit to make it bounce, spritzed a couple puffs of perfume in the air before twirling herself through it, and brushed her teeth twice before she decided that it was finally time to grace Byakuya with her presence. It had been about a week and a half since they had kissed each— _since_ Rangiku agreed to spend a few nights with Byakuya and she currently felt a mixture of excitement and apprehension.

She was about to reach for the doorknob leading to the bedroom before she paused right in her tracks, suddenly doubting the measures that she had just put herself through to simply sleep beside her best friend. Rangiku spared another glance at the mirror before smiling evilly to herself—if there was one thing that she knew, it was the fact that he would like what he saw no matter how unnecessary it was. Maybe she would think about why she felt the need to do this some other time, but she had a sleepy rich boy to attend to.

Meanwhile, Byakuya yawned deeply into the back of his hand and stretched before glancing at the clock on the wall. His eyebrows furrowed together as he read the time, Rangiku had been in the bathroom for over forty-five minutes now and he was growing impatient. He couldn't for the life of him fathom why women took so long in the bathroom. His nighttime routine was completed in less than twenty minutes and even he was going at a slower pace than usual.

Reclining against the headboard of the bed, he decided to rest his eyes for several moments and wait for her to finish instead. He reasoned that sleeping in traditional sleeping garments would warrant an annoyed response from Rangiku, so he decided to only don a set of sleeping pants that Rukia had brought back from the World of the Living as a present several months ago.

Hearing the door open with a loud whoosh, Byakuya felt his heart begin to speed up. It was finally time—he had been waiting for this for what felt like decades. The chance to properly spend a perfect night with this gorgeous woman and hopefully make this a routine activity was finally here at last.

Byakuya opened his eyes and was prepared to ask her if she was ready, yet he felt his jaw drop, his eyes widen, and his heart practically attempt to thud its way from his chest.

"Oh …" he found himself stammering aloud as his seemingly flawless countenance decided to fail him.

Rangiku smirked in satisfaction at his reaction as she posed in the doorway. "You like what you see? Sexy, right?"

She was wearing a red silk and lace nightgown that fell to her mid-thigh and was held up by spaghetti straps; a sexy looking piece of lingerie that she had purchased from the World of the Living ages ago and didn't have a reason to wear it until now. It looked as if he enjoyed seeing her in her human nightwear quite a bit, Byakuya wasn't even hiding the fact that he was openly ogling at her and she couldn't help but feel gratified by that; it was apparent that she made the right decision to wear something a little sexy for him. He might be a captain and a nobleman to boot, but he was still a _man._ She was finally in her element now, and she was assuredly going to take advantage of it and rile him up a bit for fun.

He felt like a lecherous schoolboy as he took in the unbelievably enticing sight in front of him. Byakuya had never seen female sleeping garments of this sort before, and Rangiku's made a striking first impression on him. The silk clung to her curves like a sleeve and shimmered as she moved, and he could not draw his eyes away from her. The lace was patterned beautifully about her bosom and dipped in the middle to accentuate her cleavage as well as lining the sides of her gown all the way to the hem.

" _Did she wear these garments to please me?"_ Byakuya thought to himself as he tried to regain some semblance of calm. The word 'modest' was not a common adjective used to describe Rangiku Matsumoto at all—yet this sight was so… _enticing._ The thought of her wearing this just for him made a rush of heat flow through his veins. He didn't consider himself to be particularly territorial, but he hated the thought of another man having the opportunity to see her in such a sensual form of dress. If anything, this only solidified his resolve even more—Rangiku would not have any desire to be with any other man after this night, Byakuya would see to that.

" _Mm, he must really be comfortable around me to not wear a shirt."_ Rangiku mused as she eyed Byakuya's toned form furtively. It was plain to see that he did not slack off on his training since the end of the last war and she wasn't complaining at all; each and every inch of his toned upper body was taught with ridges of firm muscles underneath flawless, alabaster skin. His six pack abs flexed slightly as he sat up and she eyed his V-cut that disappeared into his sleeping pants. She couldn't help but lick her lips as she committed this sight to memory, a sight that thousands of female Shinigami wished to experience.

It was funny how for so many years, the Shinigami Women's Association tried and failed every time to capture even one shirtless picture of Byakuya, and now her eyes were feasting upon his godly form and she barely even had to lift a finger.

Their eyes met for a fleeting, yet heated moment and it felt as if a haze overtook the room. The impassioned look in Byakuya's eyes caused Rangiku's bright blue eyes to darken as she slowly approached him with a hip-swaying sashay.

"I should give you a little bedtime show, hmm? Just a little something to dream about when you sleep~." she crooned as she twirled around slowly, swinging her hips in time to a song in her head. "You can look but you can't touch~!" she arched her head back, exposing her creamy neck as her hands caressed her curves seductively. She even bent forward and flipped her short hair flirtatiously, winking at him and blowing kisses. There was nothing wrong with a little teasing, no?

Byakuya watched the exchange hungrily as he scratched at the stubble on his face. He suddenly realized how many men would kill to be in this position. Him, Byakuya Kuchiki, going to bed with the illustrious and magnificent Rangiku Matsumoto _._ Such a phrase didn't even sound like it could ever be true, yet this was their reality now. The sight was more than appealing to him but having her in his arms was what he ached for the most, so Byakuya settled on his back and held out a hand to her.

"Come to bed, Rangiku-san. Let us go to sleep." He beckoned out to her, his voice husky and his eyes heavily lidded.

Rangiku halted her dance immediately as he spoke and sheepishly crawled in the bed, his voice was like a switch that would have her flustered in seconds. Before she even knew it, she was settled in with a respectable distance between them. The white silken sheets caressed her bare legs as she squirmed around, trying to settle herself in a comfortable position even though the bed was more than large enough for the both of them. She had no idea why it felt as if her heart was about to fly out of her chest. Was she nervous? There was no way. This was the third time that she slept in the same bed as Byakuya and she never felt like this. She felt like a teenager who had just snuck out of her house to sneak over to the badboy's house down the street.

Byakuya flicked the lamp off with a satisfying click and settled himself next to Rangiku; the two of them were now laying on their backs in silence and staring at the ceiling. He waited a moment before drawing the sheets up over their bodies. After a while, Rangiku felt Byakuya shift over to her and wrap a strong arm around her body, snuggling her into his chest. She couldn't help but stiffen at his gentle touch. His warmth was utterly intoxicating and the skin-to-skin contact that they were sharing was making her feel light-headed.

"Relax yourself, I will not harm you. There is nothing for you to be apprehensive about." Byakuya muttered into her hair, feeling the tension she was giving off and trying to keep his own trepidation away. He felt like a hypocrite in that moment. Sure, Rangiku was the first woman he had shared a bed with since his wife, but he was a grown man, for God's sake. Byakuya Kuchiki never felt nervous.

"I know you won't. I can't help it, that's all." Rangiku pouted at him. Having her cheek pressed into Byakuya's chest would make any girl a bit anxious and she was no exception. The man oozed sex appeal without even trying. The slight prickle of his chest hairs tickled her cheek and she had to fight the urge to squirm around even more. She could also feel his apprehension as well, but he was doing an excelling job of hiding it.

"This isn't the first time that we've done this." Byakuya reminded her pointedly. "And I doubt that I am the first man to go to bed with you."

"Technically, this is the first time under normal circumstances." Rangiku responded to him with a tutting tone of voice. "But you are the cutest out of all the guys I've been in bed with before and I think that's worth acknowledging."

A small chuckle made his chest rumble and Rangiku was comforted by the sensation. She stifled a yawn and glanced at the man who was holding her, but his eyes were already closed.

"Such a backhanded compliment, yet I cannot argue with that. I might ask my clan to engrave it on my gravestone, it would be an honor." Byakuya acquiesced with a nod before he pulled her into him further, smiling at the sound of her laugh. Oh, how amazing it felt to have her in his arms—her gentle warmth, her honeyed scent, it was so comforting yet overpowering all at once. A full good night's sleep was finally going to be his and even better with her in his embrace. He felt her shift and turn to face him, and she wrapped an arm around his waist and draped one of her legs over his.

"You want to hear a song? I know a whole bunch of them. It'll put you right to sleep like a baby." Rangiku bragged haughtily. He adjusted himself down a bit, nuzzled his face into her neck and sighed. Rangiku shivered slightly at the sensation of his warm breath on her neck and wiggled around restlessly.

"Go to sleep." He commanded her under his breath as he squeezed her slightly. How did she expect him to savor the sensation of her body on his if she kept on moving and talking?!

Rangiku pouted at his dismissiveness and busied herself with drawing patterns on his chest with her fingers, and he trembled slightly at her touch. She eventually allowed her fingers to trace their way from his chest and up his neck, all the way to his cheek, holding him still as she pushed her body upwards to kiss him on the forehead. Rangiku's lips lingered on his forehead for a moment before drifting to his stubbled cheek and placing another one there, backing away a moment later. There was something about him that made her act so out of character, it was mind-boggling to even think about. Rangiku wasn't the type of lady to hand out goodnight kisses to just anyone.

"Night." She yawned as she settled in on her back, praying that she fell asleep quickly before she did something outlandish again. Byakuya waited several minutes before he decided to do something out of the box.

"Rangiku-san."

"Yeah?"

"Look at me."

Rangiku turned her head to look at him and his warm breath lingered on her face for a moment before he lightly pressed a gentle, chaste kiss to her mouth. Rangiku's belly fluttered at the sensation of his lips on hers again and reciprocated after a moment, melting into the embrace with a sigh of bliss. She could taste the spicy warmth of his cinnamon flavored toothpaste as they parted for a quick breath before resuming. His kisses were so amazing that she couldn't even fault herself for indulging in him again, was there nothing this man was exceptional at?

He simply could not resist how the moonlight glinted off of her lips and had the insatiable urge to roll her underneath him, devouring her mouth until they were both spent. However, he disliked the idea of pressuring her into something that she did not want, so he was conscientious enough to keep his body weight off of her and hands away from her, giving her any opportunity to move away if she was no longer comfortable. Pleased to feel her reciprocate, he hummed with approval and he thought that he even felt her smile mid-kiss.

A soft hand cradled his cheek as they kissed and Byakuya took this as a cue to deepen their embrace momentarily, wanting to gauge Rangiku's reaction for a next time. She made a soft noise of surprise, yet she did not pull away, and Byakuya took that as a cue to up the ante a bit in the future. The innocent kisses that they shared were beautiful, yes, but even he felt greedy enough to want more.

Byakuya pulled away slowly after a while, satisfied at the proceedings. Rangiku's stunning eyes were lidded heavily as she panted ever so slightly, her lips puckered enticingly to the point where Byakuya couldn't help but kiss her once again briefly, nibbling her bottom lip gently. Rangiku was gaping openly at him and jumped slightly when he touched his forehead to hers for a brief moment. The look in his eyes—so intense and sensual, so _unguarded—_ she was even struggling to breathe in that moment. This man could reduce her to a bumbling mess with just his _eyes_ , it was incredible—he was incredible.

"I wanted to taste your lips one last time before we fell asleep." He explained before he was unceremoniously smacked in the face with a throw pillow. Wrenching the pillow away from his face, Byakuya gave Rangiku a concerned look, fearing that he might have pushed her into a kiss that she didn't truly want. The romantic moment was quickly broken in the blink of an eye.

"Pervert." Rangiku huffed, vainly trying to disguise her smile and gather her wits together. "You have to specify which set of lips, Byakuya. It's rude to keep a gal wondering. I'm not that good at reading between the lines, you know." she crooned flirtatiously and snorted when she felt Byakuya's entire body stiffen.

"What do you—" Byakuya started to inquire before he understood what she was trying to insinuate and frowned slightly at the innuendo. He gave her a reproachful look as she started to laugh heartily, flinging her head back and forth as she swiped at mirthful tears leaking from her eyes. "I'm the pervert? You wound me, Rangiku-san." He said as he tossed the pillow to the bottom of the bed.

"C'mon now, you're not the first pervert that I've taken to bed, but you are easily the sexiest out of all of them." She replied breezily as she tugged the sheets and fluffy duvet up and under her chin. "At least be happy about that."

"It's hot." Byakuya complained as she dug his arms out from under the covers. "I've also made it clear that I am not a pervert, I was raised better than that."

"Hey, quit with the whole high and mighty act. You're a guy and it's natural to throw caution to the wind when you're in the presence of a sexy woman." Rangiku said as she turned her back towards Byakuya and snuggled into spooning with him, almost purring with pleasure at his warmth.

"I assumed that my advance was welcomed when I felt you reciprocate _our_ kiss." Byakuya replied as he immediately wrapped an arm around Rangiku's midsection and held her close to him.

"Obviously, genius." Rangiku rolled her eyes and smirked. "How many times do I have to tell you that you're a good kisser? Probably one of the best that I've ever had, and I've had a lot, thank you."

"Say it again, I enjoy hearing your voice." He requested, pleased to hear that her past experiences with men paled in comparison to what he had to show her.

"Hmm." She huffed playfully. "I don't want your head to get too big, you wouldn't let me hear the end of it."

"What man wouldn't enjoy kissing the sweet lips of a gorgeous woman?" Byakuya questioned his thoughts aloud and felt a brief twinge of panic at his almost reckless declaration.

"I…" Rangiku was caught off guard and she swallowed thickly. "Shut up and sleep." She pouted at him cutely. "Find someone else to stroke your ego."

Byakuya recovered quickly, pressing a kiss to her shoulder and she felt fire flood her veins.

"That is unnecessary." Byakuya informed her with a husky whisper into her ear.

"Really?" Rangiku questioned dramatically as she tried to control her rapid breathing. "And why is that?"

He pressed his lips to her shoulder once again and let them linger on her skin as he debated what to say next. Feeling brave, Byakuya decided to go for it.

"It's simple." Byakuya said as he felt for her hand, entwining his fingers with hers. "I have you."

"Oh. That's nice." Rangiku commented quietly and she felt the urge to slap herself on the forehead. One of the few times where Byakuya willingly opened up to her without her annoying it out of him and she just had to go and say something stupid and insensitive. She released her hand from his and tucked it under her pillow. "Night."

Byakuya traced patterns on Rangiku's upper arm with his thumb as he listened to the sound of her even breathing, lying awake long after she fell asleep. He was still in disbelief that they had reached this stage in their—friendship? Was it still really that? Friends did not normally share a bed and kiss each other good night, especially friends of the opposite sex. He thought back to how he confessed his attraction to Rangiku over a year ago and how he had nearly lost her for good. There was no way that he could chase her away again, he refused to let this woman go. Holding his tongue for now was his best option and he'd have to stick to it. Byakuya simply could not allow himself to slip up again as how he did earlier.

Rangiku whined groggily as she felt Byakuya squeeze her arm. He didn't realize that he had squeezed her and quickly withdrew his hand, muttering an apology under his breath before pressing a soft kiss to her shoulder. Only the thought of her leaving his life again could elicit such a reaction out of him. She eventually shifted out of the spooning position that they were in to lie on her side facing him.

He breathed in the scent of her hair—a tantalizing mixture of both cinnamon and vanilla—and allowed himself to be lulled into a blissful state of peace. With the taste of her sweet lips still lingering on his and emboldening him, Byakuya maneuvered his other arm underneath Rangiku before he turned to lie flat on his back with her clutched on top of him to his side.

This was a very bold move of him and he started to feel the telltale sign of dread when he noticed how Rangiku stiffened against him and stopped breathing. He was about to return her to her spot, but Rangiku relaxed against him and snuggled her face into his neck as her left hand snaked its way up to rest on his chest.

He sighed with relief at her reaction and closed his eyes. This was a significant step up from when Rangiku nearly kicked him off of the bed when he kissed her those weeks ago. Byakuya didn't consider himself to be particularly experienced with women even though he was married and widowed, but he knew how to read someone's body language.

It seemed as if Rangiku was both receptive and troubled by his advances simultaneously and he could not fathom why. She was already a very outspoken woman as it was and would have no issue with telling him off if he did something wrong, but she _wouldn't._ Byakuya hoped that she wasn't just indulging in him to make her happy, that simply would not do.

She deserved better than that. _He_ deserved better than that.

Gathering this perfect woman closer to his body, Byakuya deeply inhaled her sweet scent and thanked every deity in the universe for this moment before he fell into a deep, peaceful slumber.

* * *

Byakuya yawned deeply and swiped at the evidence of sleep in his eyes. Vision now clear, he looked at the woman still nestled under his left arm and felt warmth deep inside. Rangiku's head was rested on his chest and her arm was thrown over his torso. She was still fast asleep, her mouth hung open comically and a slight snore escaped her. One of her legs was also thrown haphazardly over both of his, and the other was almost hanging off of the bed.

He reached over with his other hand and caressed her back, relishing the sensation of her flawless skin and warm silk over his fingertips. Rangiku shifted slightly and snuggled herself closer into his body, sighing gently and tickling his neck with her breath. Byakuya pressed a kiss to her forehead and glanced at the clock on the wall, noting that he had a captain's meeting to attend in a bit over two hours with distaste. Although duty called, he preferred to lay here and bask in the sensation of finally having this woman snug in his arms. He decided to relax against his pillow and close his eyes, savoring this indescribable feeling for as long as he possibly could.

Unknown to Byakuya, Rangiku woke up at the exact moment he did.

She drew herself closer to his body and sighed happily at the warmth and protection she felt radiating from him. This man was a walking furnace of heat and comfort and she simply could not get enough of it. The sensation of him languidly drawing his hand up and down her back was so soothing and tender that it was difficult to even fathom that he was even doing it. A light kiss was pressed to her forehead and Rangiku felt her heart start to thud rapidly against her chest, silently cursing her skittishness for ruining this affectionate moment. She knew that he would notice, so she made the decision to make herself known several moments later.

Lifting her head slowly, she soon found herself face to face with a sleepy Byakuya. His dark eyes lit up for a moment and she noticed how his pupils dilated as he gazed at her. Pale lips curved into the slightest of smiles as he appraised the goddess currently nestled on his chest. He drew her even closer to his side and squeezed her slightly before he spoke.

"You're awake." He commented, his gravely sounding morning voice sent shivers up Rangiku's spine. She nodded enthusiastically at his observation before she responded.

"Good morning to you too, handsome." Rangiku replied with a grin as she rested her chin on his chest. She noticed that his hand was still rubbing her back and made no move to stop his ministrations. They gazed at each other silently for a few seconds before Byakuya broke the stillness.

"I take it that you slept well." Byakuya continued as his eyes swiveled languidly about her face, almost as if he was trying to commit this moment to memory.

Rangiku snaked a hand upwards and caressed his chest reassuringly. "Yeah, and it helps when you have a super adorable guy to help you do it." she replied as she winked at him and she could feel his heart speed up along with hers under her hand.

Byakuya could feel his face heat up at her words and cleared his throat awkwardly. "I…you look beautiful this morning." He found himself saying without thinking after a moment. It seemed as if his early morning grogginess loosened his lips quite a bit. Rangiku blushed cutely at the compliment and decided that the intricate carvings on the headboard of their bed were more enticing to gaze at than his eyes before she responded.

"Ew, no. I just woke up, I haven't even brushed my teeth or combed my hair yet. Don't lie to me. I know that I probably look gross." She pouted her bottom lip at him, suddenly feeling insecure about her appearance. The flattery was welcomed, yes, but he didn't have to shower her with compliments to be nice, even she wouldn't fault him for telling her to clean herself up. She breathed into her hand and sniffed it, wincing at the morning breath she had, and she covered her face with her hands. Byakuya sighed and gently brought her hands back and rested them on his chest.

"No, I could never lie about something like that, Rangiku-san—you are so beautiful." Byakuya repeated, sounding almost entranced by the woman in his embrace. His fingers traced up her spine to rest on the skin that the nightgown left exposed. "You are breathtaking."

She fought back a smile and rested her forehead on his chest before she looked back up at him. The man looked absolutely in awe of her and she felt her heart swell at the sight. Even if Byakuya was laying it on a bit thick, it was still so genuine and sweet.

"You're such a sweetheart, Byakuya—and I guess you're not too hard on the eyes either…" Rangiku cooed as she scooted up his body, held him by the top of his head and peppered his cheek with playful kisses. Byakuya smiled, pleased with how things were proceeding between them. This moment was something out of a dream—waking up to this perfect woman who was showering him with her sweet kisses.

He glanced at the clock again and Rangiku took that as her cue to roll off of him and lay on her side of the bed. "I'm leaving for training soon and I didn't want you to wake up alone." Byakuya said as he sat up on his elbow facing her. She reached forth and stroked his cheek with her knuckles instinctively and he couldn't help but lean his face into her ministrations. Gods above, he loved when she did that.

"Mmm." he purred so softly, and Rangiku couldn't help but grin as those expressive gray eyes of his gazed at her from under dark eyelashes. Her hand shifted to his silky black hair and she scratched absentmindedly at his scalp, eliciting another groan of pleasure from him. Byakuya didn't seem like the type of man who enjoyed being touched, but his reaction to her ministrations proved otherwise. He was so sweet.

"You're so considerate." Rangiku gushed as she pinched him playfully on his nose. "You do realize that you don't have to leave now, right? It's still early. Pretty sure you'd much rather stay here with little old me, hmm?" Rangiku teased him when he gave her a look of surprise. This moment felt too good just to allow it to end like this.

"C'mon, lie back down." She outstretched her arms to accept him. "Please? Just for a little while?"

Byakuya stared at her silently for a moment, searching for any sign of a change of heart before he allowed himself to snuggle back into her arms. Several minutes more wouldn't make a difference. Plus, an open invitation such as this was rare from Rangiku and he fully intended on enjoying it while he still could. Warm silk and soft hands caressed his bare skin and his eyes nearly rolled to the back of his head at the intense sensation. Byakuya couldn't believe that he spent the past half century starving himself from a woman's touch. He felt like an absolute fool. The only saving grace was that he waited long enough to be blessed by this blue-eyed angel.

"I knew you'd use that thick head of yours to see reason. Just rest your weary head upon my bosom and forget about life for a bit." Rangiku said as Byakuya settled half of his upper body on top of hers and wrapped his right arm around her. She adjusted herself accordingly and resumed stroking his hair again with one hand and caressing his back with the other as he burrowed his face into her neck. They indulged in each other's comfort for a while silently as Rangiku laced her fingers through Byakuya's hair, relishing in the sensation of silky ebony locks on her fingers.

Times like these were her favorite, enjoying each other in ways that words could not properly express. Cuddled in bed, limbs entangled with each other and neither of them felt any sort of discomfort. It was so natural and pure, almost as if it was meant to be. This intimacy was something that the two of them craved desperately and for them to share it with each other was simply out of this world.

"My head is not thick. I simply reasoned that several more minutes in bed would not result in my tardiness." Byakuya replied stubbornly after an extended silence with a muffled voice. He had to stifle another groan of pleasure before Rangiku learned of his weakness; having his scalp scratched was a guilty pleasure of his that only Yoruichi knew about (against his will) until Rangiku. She tugged at his earlobe playfully and he couldn't stop the smile from forming on his face. Byakuya realized that he never smiled so much in his long life until Rangiku found her way into it.

"Yeah, yeah." Rangiku replied with a dismissive giggle. "Or maybe you just wanted to cuddle with me some more? Admit it!" she goaded him as she jostled their bodies around.

Byakuya lifted his head and placed his face just inches away from hers. "If I say yes, will you be here when I return? Will I be afforded the honor of nestling myself in your arms for another night?" he asked, his voice lowering to just above a whisper as he gazed at her beseechingly.

Rangiku gave him an apologetic look before she diverted her eyes away from his and busied herself with staring at the ceiling, nibbling at her lip. While the prospect would be tempting, it was inadvisable. People would start to notice that she was away and start asking questions. Byakuya sensed her hesitation and knew her answer without her having to express it.

He slowly sat up and reached for her hand, pressing a quick kiss to her fingers before he stood and walked over to open his— _their_ walk-in closet, entering in search for a uniform to wear. Rangiku was slowly moving her possessions into the house bit by bit, claiming that she didn't want to go back and forth for her clothes and makeup all the time. He glanced at her side of the closet and nodded to himself, knowing that she'd eventually try to take over his side at some point. He couldn't wait.

Rangiku giggled at his actions as she leaned over the bed to retrieve her purse, digging around for her bottle of nail polish. She opened the cap and held her left hand out to apply the polish, humming softly to herself as she set about her task. It was a cute, baby pink color that she picked up from the World of the Living and it reminded her of the color of Byakuya's Shikai. Exactly why she bought it.

Byakuya headed for the bathroom to get ready for the day, yet he stuck his head out of the doorway several minutes later with his face covered with shaving cream and holding a razor. He had _the look_ on his face and he looked significantly less intimidating covered with shaving cream. She stifled a snort at the sight and he felt a warm, tingly feeling flow through him at the sound.

"On the duvet?" he questioned dryly, just waiting for the polish to drip on the silken bed cover.

"I know what I'm doing, stop being such a mom." Rangiku sighed in exasperation as she finished off her left hand and started on the right one. She finished the right hand without fanfare and blew on all of her fingernails for good measure before doing her toenails. Byakuya watched her after he finished dressing in the bathroom and approached once she had finished.

"I must leave now, so I will see you again soon. Take care." He commented as he sat down beside her and hugged her. Byakuya squeezed her tightly in his arms for good measure and stood to finally leave, but Rangiku stopped him for a moment.

She tugged at his shihakusho sleeve. "I'll let you know when I can sneak away and come back here another time, 'kay? I promise." She cocked her head to the side and grinned genuinely at him, and there was nothing that Byakuya wanted to see more than that. Rangiku tugged at him again and leaned forward to peck a chaste kiss on his cheek, savoring the blush on his face at her actions.

"Have a good day and don't forget about me!" she winked playfully at him.

Byakuya nodded at her and left promptly, smiling softly at the thought of coming home to her again.

* * *

"You seem happier recently; your aura is… _lighter_ , if that's the right word to use." Isane Kotetsu observed Rangiku as the buxom blonde was thumbing through a magazine.

"Oh really? That's nice to know." Rangiku replied absentmindedly between bites of some snacks from the World of the Living that Yoruichi had brought over. The Shinigami Women's Association was currently meeting at the 13th Division as it was Rukia's turn to host. The women were sprawled about the ground, lounging on various mats and pillows in a conference room. Rangiku was looking forward to free food, gossip, and sake to wash away her workday stressors. It had been two days since that amazing night with Byakuya and she felt absolutely great.

"Well, are you sleeping with someone, Matsumoto? And with who?" Sui-feng asked what everyone else was thinking quite bluntly.

A potato chip immediately lodged itself in Rangiku's windpipe at this and she was thumped on the back several times by one of her SWA counterparts. Rangiku failed to notice Rukia's doe-eyed expression or Yoruichi's lecherous grin before she responded.

"No! Can't I be in a good mood without having sex?" she demanded after recovering.

Nanao Ise pushed her glasses up her nose, looking up from her notes about the meeting. "You could be, we just believe otherwise. It's a simple yes or no question."

"It's a _legitimate_ yes or no question. A lady doesn't glow like you are unless she's getting bounced off the ceiling, preferably several times a day." Yoruichi Shihoin piped up helpfully, amber eyes narrowing ever so slightly. Byakuya refused to comment on the status of whatever he had going on with Rangiku, so this was the perfect opportunity to find some interesting bits of information out. Anyone could easily tell that Rangiku was glowing with happiness, making the already beautiful woman look absolutely radiant. That idiot Byakuya-bo must be doing something right for once.

"Well, I'm not." Rangiku replied resolutely as she served herself some sake. "I've just had a good week, that's all. My captain isn't overworking me to the bone and I'm eating free food, who wouldn't be in a great mood about that?" She was also spending her free time in the arms of one of, if not the hottest man in the Seireitei and kissing him here and there, but that was a fact that could be kept to herself for now.

"I don't see why it's such a problem to admit to. We all have needs and someone besides Kuchiki here deserves to get some." Sui-feng gave Rangiku an appraising look. Rukia had the decency to look sheepish and hoped her expression didn't betray anything that she already knew. She had been to Kuchiki Manor more frequently now than she had in the past several months, and Nii-sama was there half as much as he used to. Seeing as how Renji told her that Byakuya was only at the 6th Division during work hours, that only meant one thing. Rangiku.

"Can't admit to something that isn't happening." Rangiku hummed tonelessly as she sipped her sake. She had to make the conscientious effort to not allow herself to appear too flustered.

Yoruichi approached her and looked her dead in her eyes. "You are a godawful liar, Rangiku. Who is he?"

"Who's who?"

"Your boyfriend, or whoever you are sleeping with." Nanao answered flatly. Rangiku looked nonplussed and busied herself with fussing with her hair, so Nanao continued. "We're waiting, Rangiku…"

"It could be a girl…" Rangiku replied pointedly.

"If it was, we wouldn't be having this conversation. You definitely would have mentioned that already." Momo commented, and Rangiku felt the urge to throw something at her. The buxom blonde turned her nose up haughtily and remained silent, ignoring the stares of the other women in the room. What she was up to was no one's business, yet the fact that they had caught on so quickly was proof that she was starting to slip up. In the past, she was more cautious when it came to her whereabouts, but it was starting to become gossip that Rangiku sometimes ran off without leaving a trace, leaving her apartment empty and her friends wondering what she was up to.

She glanced at Rukia, who quickly looked away, started to whistle and fiddle with a stray string on her captain's haori. Did Byakuya tell his sister about them? Was there anything to even speak about?

Her gaze drifted to Yoruichi, who was smiling knowingly. If there was someone who Byakuya would definitely not spill the beans to, it was Yoruichi. Chances are that she forced something out of him already and that she was now just going out of her way to be nosy. Rangiku couldn't even feel annoyed at the purple haired woman because she'd do the exact same thing.

"Well…" Rangiku began and flinched slightly when everyone started to crowd her closely. "I'm single. Pinky promise. You all would be the first ones to know, I swear!" It wasn't a lie at all, she was single and had been single for ages now. She just had the propensity to not act like it.

She held out a pinky and smiled gayly, much to the chagrin of the other women who groaned aloud. Eventually, everyone drifted off to resume whatever they were doing—mostly drinking and gossiping—and Rangiku was left alone to her own thoughts. She picked up her discarded magazine and stretched out on her stomach, flipping through the pages and not seeing a single outfit that she was looking at.

Rangiku brushed her fingers across her mouth, recalling the kisses that she and Byakuya had shared and shivered at the sensations that flowed through her body. That man embodied perfection and it was still unbelievable that only she could bring out such passionate actions from him. It was only she who could melt the iceberg that surrounded his outer persona and give him the chance to express who he truly was as a man.

Byakuya drew emotions out of her that she never thought she would be blessed enough to experience again, and it was both exhilarating and frightening all at once. She woke up in his arms and he held her close to him, telling her over and over again that she was beautiful even when she thought otherwise. The way that he looked at her never failed to give her chills, even if she was sitting around doing nothing at all.

It was as if she was the only other person in his world and no one else mattered except her.

Intimacy was something that she rarely ever had the chance to indulge in, especially in the past twenty years or so. Fling after fling and hookup after hookup did nothing for her but make her feel empty and miss Gin even more.

She had no regrets about making that promise to Byakuya to spend nights in bed with him; the elated look on his face and the glint of joy in his usually dead looking eyes made her heart flutter with happiness.

Goosebumps prickled across her flesh as her mind once again drifted to the taste of Byakuya's lips and the comforting warmth of being in his strong arms. Gods, there must be something wrong with that man to make her feel so… _weird._ She thought that the proverbial sparks that someone felt when they touched someone special was just a myth, but Byakuya proved it otherwise to great effect. Electrifying was an elementary way of describing Byakuya's touch and Rangiku craved for it even more against her better judgment.

Ignoring the heat that she felt bloom on her cheeks, she seized her bottle of sake and hope that she can blame it on the alcohol instead.

It should be a crime for a man to be this perfect.

To top it all off, Byakuya wanted to spend a second straight night with her and she declined even though she _really_ wanted to. He was like the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden; the smallest bite would rope you right in and the temptation would keep swiping at you if you kept trying to resist it. She was confident that indulging in him wouldn't cause her to get cast out into the wilderness, dooming the fruits of her womb to a lifetime of sin and suffering, but the guilt of it all still felt the same.

Rangiku had his admiration, affections, and she felt happy with him, but this _guilt_ —it was gnawing at her and she could not fathom why she felt this way. She had never led Byakuya astray or lied to him and they barely even argued—so why did she feel as if she was doing Byakuya wrong?

As Rangiku sat alone, struggling with her thoughts, a pair of violet eyes observed her from across the room.

* * *

 **Hey everyone, it's been a while, hasn't it? This chapter was originally supposed to be posted the Saturday after thanksgiving, but my initial chapter of this story was deleted from my computer and I didn't have a backup, so a lot of this was mostly written from memory. Also, I was super pissed that it was gone and didn't touch my laptop for several days.**

 **Even after I rewrote this chapter, which only took me several days, I was so stuck on the fact that this wasn't as good as the original and literally spent two weeks just glaring at it, refusing to post it because I thought it was crappy.**

 **All of that coupled with my final exams pushed this update back nearly a month. Not my proudest work and certainly not my best chapter, but I simply had to produce something. I should have chapter 8 posted sometime in early to mid-January. Either way, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

 **Thanks for reading and please review!**


	8. Salvation is Created

Chapter 8: Salvation is Created

 _Two and a half months later…_

"You've been a beacon of sunshine recently, Kuchiki-taicho."

Byakuya blinked and turned to face the voice. "Sotaicho?"

Shunsui Kyoraku smiled congenially at the Kuchiki heir and gave the younger man a pat on the back. "I've just noticed your radiant disposition and had to comment on it. Your positivity is absolutely contagious." It wasn't too noticeable, but Kyoraku simply had to inquire. Byakuya's countenance was as prim and proper as his pedigree required of him, but he had a tranquil glow to him.

Byakuya had exited the meeting after messaging Renji further instructions for the day, leaving the Division's menial tasks to him as he went about his business. He was planning on making a trip to the Manor to get some work done and assuage the concerns of his family for shirking his duties in the recent days as well. He was moments away from disappearing in a flash before he was approached by Kyoraku, whose expression clearly showed that Byakuya couldn't evade this conversation.

If Byakuya hadn't known the man since he was an infant, he would have never entertained this conversation at all. But he had been in a good mood lately though. Waking up in the arms of a gorgeous woman who he was taken with was quite the stress relief, and she seemed more and more receptive to his small acts of intimacy each and every day. He could now kiss Rangiku without startling her and she's even started to reciprocate and initiate on rare occasions as well; that was a major victory in his book. There was much that was worth celebrating about.

He had even delved into the forbidden realm of flirting with her; Byakuya learned quite early that although Rangiku greatly appreciated compliments from him, she genuinely enjoyed flirtatious banter as well. She found his initial prudish fumbling of honeyed words endearing and even encouraged him to continue. On one rare occasion, he even managed to get a blush out of her.

Overall, he had to admit that he was quite delighted with life now.

"Tell me your secret, how did you do it? Did you find a new hobby, or maybe you've found comfort in the arms of a cute girl?" Kyoraku teased him. 'Cute girl' wasn't the proper phrase to describe Rangiku Matsumoto. 'Gorgeous Lady' or 'Ethereal Goddess' were more accurate descriptions.

Byakuya's expression didn't betray anything; he simply shut his eyes and waited a moment before responding. "I've simply made a few lifestyle changes, nothing worth a lengthy explanation about." He responded dryly before pining his mentor with a reproachful look to hopefully end the conversation right where it was. Whatever he and Rangiku did in the privacy of their own home was exactly that. Private.

There were no laws discouraging the fraternization of captains and their subordinates, so Byakuya was not obligated under any oath to disclose anything. Yet, it was quite frowned upon for captains to seek out their subordinates. Some would see it as his way of taking advantage of a 'weaker' individual who could not deny him. Others would assume that Rangiku was trying to sleep her way to a captainship. He knew the dynamic of his current association with Rangiku would undoubtedly change once the public became aware and he had no idea how she would handle it. Maintaining anonymity for now was the best course of action.

"Courtesans?" Kenpachi Zaraki happened to be walking by and overheard the conversation, deciding to add his two cents. "Didn't know someone of your own ilk indulged." He grinned at the shorter man, who glared back at him with visible distaste.

"Now, Zaraki-taicho." Kyoraku's tone was chiding as he interjected himself into the terse conversation. "Not everyone wishes to satisfy their carnal interests in such a way." Kenpachi ignored Kyoraku and squinted suspiciously at Byakuya.

"Not even once…? Your wife died like what—sixty years ago now? You haven't gotten any since then?"

"That is none of your concern."

"No wonder you're so miserable…" Kenpachi chuckled to himself as he left in the wrong direction. Kyoraku smiled at Byakuya despite the previous conversation and the nobleman couldn't help but sigh. Byakuya hadn't enjoyed the sensual touch of a woman for too long now. Rangiku was finally warming up to the idea of intimacy with him and he refused to mess that up over something so trivial.

"She's a beauty, you sure know how to pick them, Byakuya-kun." Kyoraku commented quietly once he was sure that no one was within earshot. "Rangiku-chan is one hell of a woman. You're a lucky guy."

Byakuya's eyes widened in considerable shock and it felt as if time had just stopped. _"How?"_ he thought to himself as he felt his blood run cold.

Kyoraku yawned into the back of his hand and craned his neck to work out a crick. Opening his eye again, he saw the image of a terribly perturbed Byakuya and he held up a placating hand.

"Hey, it's just an observation. I'm obviously not going to run around screaming from the mountain tops that you're with her, come on now." He gave the younger man a lazy smile and tipped his hat back.

"I do not know what you are talking about. Matsumoto-fukutaicho and I are not involved. Our Divisions have worked together many times in the past and that is the furthest of any interaction that we have ever had." Byakuya replied evenly as he turned his back to the Captain-Commander in an attempt to regain control of the situation. If Kyoraku knew, that simply meant that others knew as well. One of Kyoraku's lieutenants—Ise—was close friends with Rangiku, so could Rangiku have mentioned something to her? That was quite unlikely, Rangiku had complained about her friend's insatiable curiosity and the measures she had to take to avoid confrontation.

Perhaps Rukia had mentioned something—no, not possible. He asked for Rukia's discretion and she would never go against his wishes. Since Renji was unaware, that simply meant that Rukia hadn't said anything at all. Yoruichi was a consistent thorn in his side, yes, but even she had a conscience and knew that he valued his privacy over everything. Her silence was also a near guarantee. Byakuya felt the throb of a headache come on and he almost groaned, thinking about childish gossip was very stressful.

Byakuya was visibly sweating as Kyoraku eyed him and that was all the confirmation that he needed. Kyoraku glanced around quickly to make sure that no one was around before he spoke again. "I guessed correctly then."

"A guess?" Byakuya could not help but question. Kyoraku knew him too long and too well, he knew that playing the fool would accomplish nothing.

"Well, it's no coincidence that you and Rangiku-chan seem to radiate a bunch of happy energy about the place—I simply put two and two together and made four." The Captain-Commander even illustrated the math with his fingers and Byakuya pinched the skin between his eyes for a moment before sighing deeply. "Plus, I'm your boss—of course I know what my little subordinates do with their free time."

"I see."

"You don't seem to be in a good mood right now. What's the matter? Are the both of you having a lovers' quarrel? Rangiku-chan can be a stubborn lady, I'm well aware."

"We are not lovers."Byakuya tried to keep a blank face, but Kyoraku could clearly see that the younger man wished for something more.

Kyoraku squinted in confusion. "Eh? How?"

"We're friends."

"That's…odd."

"What do you mean?"

"You're a man, Byakuya, act like it. You obviously want to be with Rangiku-chan and she's beating around the bush, so you need to step up to the plate and do what needs to be done to get your woman." The older man's expression looked almost disappointed in him.

Byakuya's eyes narrowed at Kyoraku's reprimand. "You make it sound so simple. I dislike the idea of pressuring her into something that she isn't ready for."

There was nothing wrong with being best friends, Byakuya cared for Rangiku enough that titles mattered little. It was simply the fact that he was still unconvinced that she only harbored platonic feelings for him.

Initially, he had chalked it up to him simply being impatient about the progress he was making with her and he resolved to cherish her as a friend first and watch things develop from there. The experience was wonderful and he was relieved that he had the opportunity to get to know her before getting ahead of himself. He thought Rangiku was an amazing woman before and his opinion of her only improved exponentially after an incredible year in her company. She was his best friend and the guiding force that had led to his desire to change his life.

Now that he had slept in the same bed as this woman, shared meals with her, kissed her so sweetly, held her so tenderly in his arms and spent as much of his time outside of work with her as he possibly could, he knew that there was no feasible way that she did not harbor similar feelings for him. No woman would allow a man to take such liberties with her if their feelings weren't mutual. Or if at least there was some growing interest; he didn't expect Rangiku to change her mind suddenly without her spending time debating it with herself, she was such an indecisive woman.

There was no rush either, as far as he was concerned, he would wait until he was sure that she was ready for the next step. That is, if the next step was in the works for them. He tried not to dwell on the possibility of nothing beyond friendship being in play for them.

He noticed that Kyoraku was giving him a triumphant smirk and he scowled in return. "There's nothing humorous about this."

"Oh no, I'm not laughing at you. If anything, I'm just tickled at Rangiku-chan's actions." Kyoraku responded placatingly. "This sounds just like something that she would put a man through to protect herself."

Byakuya still looked confused for a moment before his eyes suddenly narrowed in realization. "Ichimaru."

"Exactly!" Kyoraku clapped his hands. "Heartbreak changes a woman, Byakuya-kun. She isn't keeping you at arm's length because she wants to. She _has_ to for her own peace of mind." The older man shrugged slightly. "Or as a coping mechanism, whichever one.

The loss of his wife still stung at him after all of these years and even with Rangiku's presence in his life, he still felt it. No matter how he would try to ignore the hurt, it was still there after sixty years. He thought back to several instances with Rangiku where she would even admit that several things that he did for her reminded her of Ichimaru and he felt like a fool. The answers were staring him dead in his face and he chalked up her behavior to her playing hard to get.

"What shall I do?" he asked simply.

Kyoraku playfully jabbed him on the shoulder. "Be there for her. _Cherish_ her. Treat her like the queen that you know she is. Be to her what Ichimaru couldn't. These things take time and if I know Rangiku-chan, she's probably beating herself up about hanging you out to dry like this too. She's a smart girl and she knows better, let her figure things out for herself."

The younger man looked quite contemplative for a split second before his expression smoothed out to its characteristic impassiveness. According to Kyoraku, he simply had to continue doing what he was doing and that was of no issue. She would always be worth it. "I see. Good day, Kyoraku-sotaicho." He bid the older man goodbye and made to disappear, but the older man called out to him again.

"There's one more thing…"

"Such as what?" Byakuya questioned impatiently. He was already uncomfortable enough with his love life being read out to him like an open book and he was uninterested in being lectured anymore.

"You have to assert your dominance without forcing it too much. Give her an inch and make her want to take a mile, if you catch my drift. Spice things up a little!" Kyoraku winked with his one eye.

"That is not how a man should court a woman." Byakuya replied with a frown.

Kyoraku sighed impatiently. "Look, whatever you're trying to do now is not what a modern lady is looking for. Courting women is archaic— but I'm not telling you to force yourself on her either. Just give her a taste of the forbidden fruit, understand? Let her know what she's missing."

Byakuya nearly sneered at the thought. Everyone knew how Rangiku was almost constantly harassed by men with no tact at all and for him to stoop himself to the same level was unfeasible. She deserved to be treated like a lady and he would continue to do so.

* * *

"We almost never see you around here anymore, you wouldn't happen to be… _seeing_ anyone, are you?" Shuhei Hisagi questioned Rangiku casually, although she easily picked up on the waver in his voice. The other members of their drinking group—Yumichika, Ikkaku, and Izuru—leaned forward ever so slightly in anticipation. Rangiku's attendance to their drinking nights had significantly decreased in the past month or so without any explanation and they were curious to see what the sole female of their group was up to. She held up a slim finger, silently commanding them to wait as she finished off her sake.

"Ah!" she panted enthusiastically as she slammed the cup on the table. "Nope, I'm not. I've just been swamped at work—taicho won't let me off the hook for anything nowadays, it sucks. My fault for always skimping on my assignments, I guess." She responded with an exaggerated sigh of sadness. The others nodded, accepting her answer because Hitsugaya-taicho was known for never easing up when it came to work. Rangiku was relieved that she was able to come up with something on the spot so quickly.

Lying to the guys was easy, yet the girls knew that she was with a guy. With who though, was still for the most part unknown. Rukia would give her lingering yet knowing looks at meetings but kept her comments to herself, yet Yoruichi seemed to be constantly smirking at her and even Sui-feng and Nanao seemed to be noticing that something was off. Everyone else was content to mind their own business for now, still under the impression that she was engaged in one of her countless flings that never lasted long. None of the women had approached about their suspicions yet and she hoped that they wouldn't.

Truth be told, nearly every free moment she had was spent with Byakuya. Her weekends used to be spent drinking with the guys, hanging out with the girls or just locked up in her apartment when she was feeling depressed. The past few months with Byakuya in their house were incredible; she would cook for him and he would attempt to help, messing up and frustrating himself over it. When the weather permitted it, they would walk around the garden and just talk about anything that happened to come up.

They would also get comfortable together on the couch, especially since Byakuya spent an outrageous amount of money on one of the first television sets that were produced in the Soul Society, even purchasing a smaller one for her apartment as well. A passing comment from her about wanting to watch one had him immediately setting off towards the 12th Division, demanding their best and largest model for himself.

And at night, he would curl up next to her in bed and gently brush his lips against her forehead, wishing her sweet dreams and peaceful sleep.

In the morning, she would try to wake up before him and attack his cheeks with overly moist pecks that he would pretend to escape from every time.

It was routine, she'd plow her way through the week, looking forward to that first Friday night when she would fall into his arms with a sigh of bliss.

"Sorry I'm late…" Renji Abarai approached their table, looking haggard and worse for wear.

"You look like shit." Ikkaku Madarame observed his friend and laughed at the middle finger the red-haired man pointed at him.

"My captain is running me into the ground." Renji settled into the free seat next to Rangiku and nodded gratefully at the sake that was placed in front of him. "You'd think after marrying Rukia that he'd be nicer to me, you know? I'm his brother-in-law! We're practically family!"

Rangiku smiled at the mention of Byakuya being in one of his moods. He was so adorable when he scowled at everything and everyone, regardless if he cared for them or not. There was nothing that entertained her more than when Byakuya would give her _the look_ and it be completely ineffective. He'd pout about it and she'd always tease him for it.

"The man needs a girlfriend, or at least _someone_ to loosen him up a bit. Can't blame him for being miserable all of the time in spite of that." Izuru Kira commented, and no one noticed how Rangiku froze suddenly in her seat.

Byakuya did have the tendency to be a stick in the mud, but even he knew how to let loose a little. Sometimes he would even indulge Rangiku and play a drinking game with her, always managing to beat her. She reminisced fondly about the time where she begged him to play tag with her in their garden, catching her within his arms each time in a matter of seconds.

"But that's the thing, he's actually been in a better mood for a while now. I bet he just likes messing with me." Renji argued before looking around hastily. He held a hand up to his mouth as if he was whispering. "He even _smiles_ sometimes! Like, I'll catch him staring off into space or out a window all dreamy and stuff, and he just _smiles_! It's really quick though, like a split second."

"Kuchiki-taicho? Smiling?" Yumichika Ayasegawa clutched a hand to his chest. "I'd pay to see something so beautiful." Rangiku nodded to herself in acknowledgement, Byakuya really had a gorgeous smile. She reminisced to that morning several months ago and sighed to herself longingly; she hadn't seen a smile on him that intense since that day. To have the knowledge that she put that smile on his face, the knowledge that she made him feel such joy made her immeasurably happy. Suddenly remembering where she was, Rangiku was grateful that the focus was still on Renji and no one had caught her daydreaming about Byakuya again.

"It's crazy." Renji agreed. "Rukia doesn't know any more than I do, but she did mention how he's barely around the Manor more than he needs to. He used to be there every single day, but now he's gone nearly every weekend and even a couple weekdays as well. So, he might just be seeing a hot chick on the side and we just don't know!" he grinned into his cup.

Rangiku clutched her fist tightly to prevent her hand from shaking and she laughed. "She's got to be a brave girl to be with him, I bet. He's no summertime fling."

"That's true. I think that any woman who crawls into bed with Kuchiki-taicho deserves a medal. The man's face is scary. The thought of him smiling makes my head hurt." Hisagi agreed.

"He's not that bad." Renji argued. "My daughter gets along with him fine." His eyebrows furrowed suddenly in realization. "He's nicer to my daughter than he is to me…"

"Of course. Ichika is his baby niece, silly. And she's cuter than you are." Rangiku patted him on the back as his forehead hit the table. She had to make the conscientious effort to not argue with Shuhei and what he said about Byakuya. The urge to keep her private life quiet superseded the urge to defend the man who was so special to her, as much as she hated to do it.

"I hope he does find someone to be happy with one day, like getting married again and starting a family." Renji was suddenly serious despite the blush of inebriation on his face. The gang of drinking buddies quieted suddenly and listened to him. "He's been through so much, I don't know how he gets up in the morning."

"You'd think he'd get married again?" Izuru questioned.

Renji shrugged. "He has to at some point and he knows it. Fate of the Kuchiki clan and all that." He sipped at his sake. "Rukia is still his heir and that makes Ichika second-in-line after her—I don't want my kid anywhere near that. I'd cry if she came home with those pointy white things in her hair."

"Well, judging by the fact that he's missing most times and is smiling a lot more, he may have already found his future wife. She just might be his well-kept secret." Yumichika smiled and arched an elegant eyebrow. Rangiku nearly had sake fly out of her nose at his words. _Wife?!_

"Who knows? You're probably wrong, though. He'd sooner marry the chick and bring her around before hiding her like that. Yet, I can't imagine him hooking up with anyone." Renji shook his long braid of red hair vigorously. "Ugh, gross…"

Rangiku looked quite nonchalant as she listened to her drinking buddies talk, but she was troubled on the inside. She was well aware that Byakuya needed to marry and have a child out of duty, but it seemed as if he had no sense of urgency to do so. He had yet to mention anything to her at all. She hadn't asked, knowing that he had the inclination to close himself up if she tried to get too personal without any warning. Aside from that, she knew nothing about what it was like to be nobility; to have your entire life set for you and have little control over it. In her mind, she was an escape for him to simply get away and live a little.

What was Byakuya really trying to do with her? Rangiku had her share of hookups and flings in the past, way before her and Byakuya became friends, yet the thought of being a notch on Byakuya's belt, just someone just to entertain him until he found himself a wife made her stomach hurt.

"What do you think, Ran?" Hisagi called out to her.

"Huh?"

"What do you think Kuchiki-taicho's up to?"

"Mm." She feigned ignorance as if they didn't wake up together bed on a regular basis, wrapped up in those long and muscled arms of his. "I honestly don't know—has he talked about remarrying at some point?" she asked Renji in an attempt to divert the conversation, but she was genuinely curious.

Renji's eyebrows furrowed in deep concentration for a moment before he spoke again. "Not as far as I know of and he wouldn't tell me anyways, you'd have to ask Rukia. The Elders haven't harassed him about it in years though…"

"That means they've probably given up." Kira supplied, as a minor nobleman he knew how those things worked. "It happens more often than not, although never in such a major clan."

"Looks like your kid may end up being the future Kuchiki-sama after all." Ikkaku snickered at Renji's paled expression.

"Like hell she will." Renji grumbled as he crossed his arms indignantly. "To be honest, my captain needs a girl in his life. It's been over sixty years since Rukia's sister died and I don't think he's been with anyone as far as I know of. It's absolutely crazy how he's lasted so long being alone." The redhead continued, unnoticing of Rangiku's extended silence.

Yumichika nodded to himself and smiled. "Kuchiki-taicho has taste, naturally. Just look at him—you can tell that he's not in the business of settling for just any woman. Whoever this mystery lady might be, if she exists, has to be the one for him, I'm telling you."

"Yeah, yeah…"

Rangiku listened quietly as Renji and the rest of the guys rambled off conspiracies about Byakuya's love life. It was crazy to know that Byakuya's been alone for so long, it was no wonder why he was so affectionate with her. Just as if he was catching up on lost time. It was crazier to even fathom how Rukia's sister didn't reciprocate his love, that must have broken his heart so badly. Her and Gin were never officially together and there were countless nights that she would cry over him distancing himself from her; Byakuya must have felt a thousand times worse as a husband.

"I think I'm gonna turn in early, guys." Rangiku stretched and exaggerated a yawn. "I can feel a huge stack of paperwork just sitting on my desk in the morning."

"You're leaving?" Hisagi questioned with disappointment. "I can take you back home, if you want."

Rangiku faltered at the implication of Shuhei escorting her back to the house that she shared with Byakuya, and suddenly realized that he was referring to her apartment. No one knew that she and Byakuya own a house together. Hell, no one even knew that she and Byakuya had anything to do with each other. The privacy was nice, yes, but she was growing weary of the questioning looks and inquiries about her love life or lack thereof, allegedly.

"Nah, I'm good—thanks Shuhei." She smiled a dazzling smile at him that had the man grinning in his seat.

Not long after that, she was flash stepping her way home by the rooftops, not wanting anyone to see the troubled expression that was marring her delicate features.

* * *

"We need to talk."

Byakuya looked up from the book that he had in his hands and raised a questioning eyebrow. Every man knew that whenever a woman spoke those four words, something terrible was about to happen. Rangiku had decided to spend some time in her own apartment for a while and he decided to drop by at least once before spending the rest of the week at the Manor. As much as he would prefer it, they could not spend too much time in their house together. They would start to be missed.

"There's been some gossip around here about you." She began glibly as she topped off his glass of sake, sitting next to him on the sofa once her task was finished.

"When has there not been any?" he replied with an exasperated sigh as he sipped at the drink. He was young, wealthy, and attractive—being the hot topic of discussion was nothing new. This was something that he ignored under most circumstances. He usually indulged in her when she wanted to chatter about the newest drama that was going throughout the Seireitei, but her reserved countenance clearly showed that this bothered her a bit.

Rangiku nibbled at her lip in the way that made his blood run hot and stared at her hands for a long moment before she spoke again. "Well, I was with the girls a while back and I went out drinking with the guys not too long ago—you know, Renji, Shuhei and the rest—and you were a topic both times."

Byakuya felt himself frown at that. Renji for sure would be getting extra paperwork in the morning. He also needed to seal off the additional hidden entrances that the SWA created, even if they didn't meet in the Manor this time around. Byakuya wasn't sure why he thought that Rangiku's influence would mitigate their trespassing, if anything, it made it much worse. They were consistently in and out of his home and he couldn't even tell when they came in.

"And what, pray tell, were my lieutenant and the rest of your companions discussing about me?"

"Well, the guysthinks that you're sneaking around with a girl and hiding her from the world, and the girls think that I'm—uh—doing the same thing, but with a guy." She blurted out sloppily as she let her hair fan her face, covering her expression. Rangiku decided to omit the segment of the night when the guys claimed that he found his future wife, mostly for her sake rather than his.

"I see." Byakuya replied after a moment before returning to his book. He noticed how his grip on the cover of the book tightened slightly. Imagine being jealous of himself, how humorous.

Rangiku snatched the book from his hands and flung it into the loveseat adjacent from them. "Damn it, Byakuya—don't you get it? They're onto _us._ It's only a matter of time before people start putting two-and-two together, even if it's completely unobvious now. _"_

A set of dark, elegant eyebrows relaxed in resignation as he folded his hands in his lap. "I've also had an encounter myself with someone who knows too much. This person found us out and I was unable to convince them otherwise."

"Who?" Rangiku got right to the point.

"Kyoraku-sotaicho, and he claimed that he only made a guess." He decided to not mention how Kyoraku encouraged him to make a move on her, he was still debating whether or not it was a stroke of genius or an absolutely foolish idea.

Rangiku paled visibly and held a hand to her chest. "Kyoraku knows about us? Nanao doesn't know and I didn't tell her anything, so I have no idea how—"

Byakuya placed a placating hand on Rangiku's shoulder and interrupted her softly. "This will blow over as any other unsubstantiated rumor. I'd ask that you remain calm and allow things to settle down."

"Unsubstantiated?" Rangiku repeated incredulously. There was nothing 'unsubstantiated' about them, these rumors were true, weren't they? They kissed and slept in the same bed multiple times a week! She felt a pang in her belly at these thoughts, knowing that they were pushing the envelope a bit too much since that night in the house. She knew indulging in that first kiss with him would turn out to be a bad idea and now her fears were starting to become a reality. Yet, the thought of living without his touch and kisses made her feel lost.

"As individuals in power, being the topic of gossip is far from abnormal. I would advise you to ignore it." The nobleman counseled as he sipped from his cup of sake delicately. "I will handle Kyoraku in due course if he steps out of line."

Rangiku's jaw clenched. "Maybe I don't want to ignore it, Byakuya." She stood to her feet and hovered over the man with her hands on her hips, waiting for him to respond. When he eyed her suspiciously and kept quiet, she decided to take a deep breath and continue. "Has it occurred to you that maybe I'm tired of us hiding behind closed doors?"

Byakuya felt himself rise to his feet and he stared at her with shock. He reached for her reflexively and held her by her shoulders. What did this mean? Does this mean that Rangiku is finally—?

"We're _friends_." Rangiku stated with a tone of finality in her voice. Byakuya almost felt the crack in his chest at this and steeled his expression into one of indifference. His hands fell to his sides and he clenched his fists tightly, unnoticed by Rangiku. "I don't see why we as friends have to sneak around like this. It would make more sense for us to be seen in public as friends so that these stupid rumors would stop, wouldn't it? We just have to go about this the right way to avoid people freaking out, of course."

Rangiku's logic would make sense if the feeling of being friends was mutual. Byakuya sighed deeply and nodded in submission. He felt this coming. Rangiku Matsumoto was a woman of many qualities and her abhorrence for confrontation was at the top of the list. The woman would prefer to tip toe around the obvious rather than confront it head on. It was quite frustrating, yet Byakuya had no choice but to agree with her, lest he fall into another argument with her about the subject.

"So, I think that we should go out for lunch sometime in the near future. Just a nice spot out in the Seireitei—nothing too expensive since I know how you love to blow cash on me." His blue-eyed angel suggested as she clasped her hands together.

Byakuya smiled warmly at this. Spending time alone with her over a hot meal was a lovely idea, especially for their public debut. Perhaps they could go for a stroll afterwards as well. He needed to think a few date ideas over and suggest them to her at some point. Byakuya suddenly realized that he had never been on a date before. He needed to do a bit of research to ensure that everything went perfectly.

A wave of apprehension washed over him once he realized that the public would finally learn of his involvement, romantic or not, with Rangiku. What would people think? He didn't consider himself to have many friends, just associates and their opinions can and would be disregarded. Yet her friends might judge her into having second thoughts about being with him. Although the circumstances of Rukia's arrest and near execution was a misunderstanding, his involvement left a bad taste in many mouths even after all of those years. He would not be surprised if her friends would convince her that he was trying to manipulate her.

Should he worry?

"I'll invite captain along so that it looks less suspicious, and maybe you can bring Renji?" Rangiku muttered as she thought about how to do things. "Oh! It could be like a joint division lunch, right? We can foster conrobbery—"

"Camaraderie." Byakuya her instantly as he brought his attention back to her, feeling very disappointed that she wanted to share their meal with her boy captain and his foolish brother-in-law.

"—and we can still hang outside of our house! Isn't this such a good idea?" Rangiku clapped happily at her amazing idea.

Byakuya plunked himself down on the couch as gracelessly as he could and glared at the wall opposite him. Rangiku rolled her eyes at his reaction and dropped down next to him, placing her feet in his lap and crossing her arms underneath her bosom.

"At least pretend that you're happy about this, you know I hate it when you sulk." Rangiku complained as she dug her feet into his lap, nudging him around. "C'mon…"

"Then change your mind." He shot back through clenched teeth. "It should only be you and I, anyone else will get in the way." Byakuya had to make a conscientious effort to ignore the long, velvety leg that poked out of the slit of her hakama.

"This is for the best and you know that. I thought that you of all people would get We're not ready to reach that step yet, Byakuya." The blonde beauty replied firmly. He knew by her tone that she would not budge. It was either her way or no way and there was nothing to be done about it. Nevertheless, he turned to her and glared at her with his signature Kuchiki stare, hoping to convince her to see the error of her ways.

"This displeases me."

Rangiku sighed in exasperation before she decided to bring out the big guns. "Pretty please, Byakuya-kun~? For me~?" She sang as she crawled into his lap, straddling him with her knees pressed into his sides.

Byakuya felt his heart stop at honorific of endearment that she added to his name and his resolve started to waver. Her lips, slick with gloss were pouted slightly and she batted her eyelashes at him, the temptress. The situation wasn't helped at all once she settled herself in and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tenderly before sitting back on his thighs. She then placed a single finger under his chin and tilted his head to look her directly in the eye.

"You're doing this for me and I'm doing this for you. That's all that matters." She planted a wet smooch on his cheek and hugged him tightly again as she nuzzled her nose against his ear. Byakuya couldn't help but groan under his breath and he returned the embrace almost unconsciously. The battle was lost. This blasted woman could ask him to shunpo through rings of fire blindfolded with his Zanpakuto in his mouth and he wouldn't ask questions until the deed was done. Her weight and warmth felt pleasant against him and he was not in the mood to let her go.

He made the fatal mistake of looking her in her eyes and sighed deeply. "Fine, I will do this to please you." Byakuya relented with a grumble at the fact that he was completely wrapped around Rangiku's finger and there was nothing that he could do about it.

Her baby blue eyes twinkled with gratitude and Byakuya felt his heart flutter at the sight, unsuccessfully fighting the tug of a smile at his lips. This woman's joy meant the world to him. He would do everything in his power to see to it that it never stopped.

"Ahh, you are absolutely perfect, Byakuya." Rangiku sighed as she leaned into him and nestled her head on his shoulder. "Always coming through for me no matter what."

"My life's goal is to please." Byakuya muttered under his breath and Rangiku laughed.

Byakuya's large hands drew circles on her back and she scooted herself closer to him, reveling in the sensations that this intimate position was giving. They embraced each other for what felt like hours before Rangiku sat up, gazing admiringly at him. She still wondered how she was blessed to have a man like him in her life. A man who would bend over backwards for her without even questioning why he did it, no matter what the cost was. His selflessness and unyielding generosity were only two of the many amazing qualities that Byakuya possessed.

Her eyes flickered about his face as he gave her an expressionless look. The left corner of his mouth was quirked downward slightly as he was undoubtedly attempting to decipher what she was thinking about. There was a little freckle at the corner of his right eye and she lifted her hand, grazing her thumb across it before resting her palm on his cheek. His eyelids fluttered as she touched him and he tilted his face further into her hand, humming softly with pleasure at her gentle touch.

Before Rangiku was even aware of what she was doing, her lips were pressed against his.

She let her left hand drift to the nape of his neck, scratching at his hair before she deepened the kiss further, flitting her tongue across his lips before he opened them to allow her in.

Byakuya was drowning in these unfamiliar sensations and he could barely breathe, much less think. This was not one of the usual kisses he had the honor of receiving from her, this was so much more… _arousing._ The warmth of her soft body pressing insistently into his and her perfumed scent were utterly overwhelming. His hold tightened around her form considerably as he debated with himself on what his next move should be, whether or not he should flip this woman on the couch and worship her, but Rangiku broke the kiss and backed away slowly.

Her lips were reddened and swollen slightly as she flicked a thumb across the corner of his lips, swiping away lingering saliva with a tender caress.

"Bya—" She attempted to speak his name, but he interrupted her with another insistent kiss, pulling her back into him firmly. Rangiku surrendered herself again to these sinful sensations. Their tongues danced with each other fluidly and Byakuya groaned with pleasure as he caressed her back, encouraging their ministrations with ardor.

Rangiku's brain had long since shut off and only worked to remind her to breathe. It wasn't until she felt his hands start to make their way to her backside that her conscious reminded her that this was a terrible idea and she flailed away, scooting towards the other side of the couch. Byakuya blinked at the sudden disengagement of their mouths and opened his mouth to speak, but Rangiku interrupted him.

"What the hell was that?" Rangiku exclaimed as she straightened herself out.

"You started it." Byakuya almost sounded petulant yet his glare softened at Rangiku's worried expression. "I shouldn't have done it."

"No, you're right…I _did_ start it." Rangiku said after a moment of silence.

"Excuse me?" Byakuya was now completely confused. Rangiku just admitted that she did something wrong. In his opinion, there was absolutely nothing wrong with what they had just done and he was eager to continue. He watched as she retreated into herself, almost chastising her inappropriate actions before she took a deep breath and spoke again.

"I'll be back. Just wait a bit." Rangiku nodded curtly before standing and walking from the living room without another word, leaving a still very hot and bothered Byakuya sitting dumbly on the couch without a second thought.

At her best, Rangiku was a gracious woman with a strong personality and big heart. At her worst, unfortunately, Rangiku was a stubborn wench with a mean streak that would put most 11th Division brutes to shame and a terrible temper. Naturally, he and Rangiku shared their occasional disagreements and silent treatments which resolved themselves after they had allowed themselves time to calm down, but he was not in the mood to let her simmer down quite yet.

He stood up and took several sizeable gulps of sake to give him courage before he ventured into her bedroom.

"You forgot to knock." Byakuya heard her speak from the bathroom. The door was cracked slightly and he could hear her sink running water. Byakuya sat on the corner of the bed and waited a moment before speaking.

"Pardon my manners." He acquiesced as he looked around, having not had a good look around out of having manners for her privacy. Aside from her furniture, the room wasn't splashed with the color pink as he expected. There was no doubt in his mind that Hitsugaya had established rules about how his subordinates managed their lodgings. On her dresser, there were various picture frames arranged in rows. Several of her and Hitsugaya and even more of her, Rukia and the rest of her female friends, yet there was a picture frame that was lying face down away from the rest.

He glanced at the bathroom door and heard that her shower was now running, which obviously meant that she was bathing. Ignoring the slight heat that he felt wash over his body at the thought of her being nude mere feet away from him, he reached over for the picture frame and felt a lump in his throat at what he saw.

It was a photo of her and Ichimaru, linked together by their arms.

Judging by the length of her hair and the absence of her Lieutenant's badge, as well as Ichimaru's lieutenant's badge that was attached to his arm, this photo was taken roughly eighty-five years ago. He would have still been in the Academy at that time.

She was smiling, but it almost looked forced. The man next to her had his trademark smirk on his face and even he looked a bit uncomfortable as well. Deciding not to snoop any longer, he placed it in its original spot and decided to stare at his hands. There was no use in feeling insecure with what he found, he still possessed photos of Hisana himself. She was entitled to retain memories of a deceased love one as was he—but it didn't make him feel any better about it. He couldn't even remember the last time he visited Hisana's shrine and he felt a wave of nausea hit him.

What kind of man was he? To completely neglect the memory of his wife simply due to the fact that another woman was in his life?

He felt sick. His throat was starting to burn and his eyes were stinging, threatening to shed bitter and salty tears that he had kept locked away for the better part of the year. The alcohol wasn't any help either, if anything, it further weakened his self-control.

After an indiscernible amount of time spent staring at the floor, Byakuya then decided to leave without a word to Rangiku, he needed time to calm down. He stood up quickly and made for the door, but Rangiku exited the bathroom at the same moment. Wearing a bath robe and a towel around her head, she walked over to him before he could leave.

"Where are you running off to so quickly?" she questioned before she noticed his almost haunted look. "Byakuya?" Rangiku reached for him and he flinched.

"I was leaving." He informed her before reaching for the doorknob again, but Rangiku slammed it shut, grabbing him by his hand and escorting him to her bed again and setting him down. It was pointless to resist her, so he plunked himself down with defeat, unable to meet her eyes.

"What's wrong?" she queried as she tilted his face to look her in her eyes.

He took one look in those flawless crystal blue eyes of hers and was immediately undone. A single tear ran down his face and he felt her wipe it away with a trembling hand.

"The picture." Byakuya informed her cryptically. "It reminded me of… _her."_

Rangiku was both startled and concerned at the sudden tears in his eyes yet she immediately knew what he had saw. She always angled that picture of her and Gin a certain way facedown and it was not how she left it before. After staring at the picture for a long moment, she looked at Byakuya again. He had a guilty look on his face and he refused to look at her.

"Oh." She didn't know what to say. If Byakuya expected her to chastise him for snooping, she would not do it.

"My wife…I have been neglectful."

The pit in Rangiku's stomach grew to unfathomable depths. Byakuya rarely disclosed information about his wife and although she encouraged him to talk to her about his thoughts, they both avoided the topic of her. Rangiku constantly compared herself to Hisana and it was frustrating—the woman was _dead_ and this poor, sweet man was alone mourning for years. Instead of dwelling on about that now, she needed to help Byakuya. Thinking about herself in this moment was beyond selfish and she could not allow him to continue beating himself up over something that he had no control over. Seeing that damned picture of her and Gin triggered him and this was the first time that she was at a loss of what to do.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she offered to listen. Rangiku needed to do something, _anything._

"No, I should leave." Byakuya attempted to stand to his feet but she held him back.

"I don't want you by yourself tonight." Rangiku informed him as she stood and walked outside the bedroom, returning several moments later with some soap, a washrag, and a towel. "Go ahead and bathe and calm yourself down, and if you're still up to it, we can talk." She plopped the items that she gathered in his arms and waited for him to comply.

Byakuya looked at her blankly and didn't move, tears still welling in his eyes.

Her expression softened considerably and cupped his face in her hands gently before she spoke again.

"Byakuya, baby. Please listen to me."

* * *

 **Hey everyone, it's been a while? After dealing with a few health setbacks and school, it really pushed this chapter back way farther than I intended it to, so I apologize for that. This chapter signifies the start of a new arc in this story, so please hold on tight and be patient!**

 **We have a rating change on the way soon, so keep a look out and get ready!**

 **Thanks for reading and please review!**


	9. Be Thou My Vision

Chapter 9: Be Thou My Vision

* * *

 _Bleach_ belongs to Kubo, as always.

* * *

Byakuya's eyes widened and he looked up at her, a slight blush on his cheeks from her words. Feeling her tug at him again, Byakuya nodded weakly and walked into the bathroom under his own power. The door closed softly behind him and several moments later, the sound of running water had her sighing with relief.

She felt the familiar sting of tears in her eyes as she looked at that stupid picture that should have been thrown away the second that Gin followed Aizen to Hueco Mundo. After tossing it in a drawer and slamming it shut, Rangiku breathed deeply as she gathered herself together. Byakuya needed her to be strong for him now.

Noticing how untidy her room was looking, she bustled around to pick trash and other things up. She changed the sheets on the bed and spritzed some air freshener around the room, now satisfied that everything was at least presentable for them to stay in for the night. She finally changed into a tank top and shorts and combed out her hair in front of her mirror as she waited for him to finish up.

She heard the water shut off after a while and the rustling of a towel that was undoubtedly drying Byakuya's body off. Rangiku cleared her throat at the thought of his ripped body peppered with water droplets and decided to focus her cleaning efforts again on a spot on her carpet that had been there far too long.

Light from the bathroom suddenly flooded the room and Rangiku chanced a quick peek at him.

"Uh…" she attempted to speak, yet the sight of him rendered her speechless.

Seeing his hair slicked back and how the towel clung for dear life from his waist made her almost forget that she needed to comfort him. Rangiku had seen him without a shirt countless times in the past few months and while she still felt an odd jolt in her body at the sight, it was nothing new. Seeing his body still moist from his shower made her tongue feel as if it was swelling in her mouth. It was very difficult to keep her eyes above his shoulder level. She gulped thickly and forced herself to make eye contact.

They stood in an awkward silence for a moment before Byakuya sniffed to break the silence.

His eyes were dry now and his expression was as blank as ever, yet she could easily feel the sorrow radiate from him. Byakuya never allowed himself to slouch and it looked as if he didn't have the will to even stand himself up correctly. He nearly withered under her gaze but managed to stop himself.

Byakuya looked around for a moment before speaking. "You wouldn't happen to have any spare clothes, would you?"

"Oh! Yeah…hold on a sec…" Rangiku murmured as she dashed towards her closet and flipped around for a minute before locating a bright pink tank top with the word 'SEXY' printed on the front in bright yellow font. She tossed it to Byakuya with that teasing smile he loved to see.

He held the shirt by his thumb and index finger and looked at it for a long moment, a slight twitch to his lips that let Rangiku know that he found this somewhat amusing. "Something less… _pink."_

"I thought you loved pink." Rangiku teased him as she walked over to her drawers and pulled out a set of pajamas pants and a robe.

"Are those…?"

"Yeah, they're yours." Rangiku admitted as she draped the robe over her shoulders and handed him the pants. "I…I like to keep your clothes when you're away."

"Why?" He didn't sound upset, but genuinely curious.

"Well…uh…they smell like you." She looked away and toed at the carpet. "I wear them when we're not with each other…it's like you're here with me."

He looked at her as he processed this new information. For her to take his clothes from him to keep with her in his absence meant that she disliked the idea of him being away from him. She _missed_ him.

"I just freaked you out, didn't I?" Rangiku laughed nervously as she shook her still slightly damp hair, sprinkling him with water droplets. Before she could make an excuse to leave the room to give him privacy, he suddenly tugged her into his arms and held her. She froze, suddenly aware that this man was only wearing a towel and her skin reddened completely.

"Give me something of yours." Byakuya muttered as he lost himself in her warmth.

"Like what, panties? Perv. You can't wear those, unless you want them to—" Rangiku attempted to downplay the situation with a raunchy comment but was quickly silenced when he cradled her face in between his hands, gazing deeply into her eyes with beseeching, cloudy grays.

"Please."

Rangiku's mouth hung open and it took her a moment to remember how to form a coherent sentence. "I'll let you pick something in the morning." She murmured soothingly as she coaxed him into the bathroom, giving him a moment to get dressed before she tugged him towards her bed. Byakuya settled himself on the bed and sighed, the emotional rollercoaster of the evening was draining and he was more than ready for this day to be finished. The bed dipped as Rangiku climbed over him and settled at his side. Leaning on her elbow, she reached forth and scratched at his scalp, just the way he liked it.

"If you want to talk, I'll listen. Or we don't have to at all right now. I'll stay right here as long as you'll have me. I'm here for you, Byakuya." She offered gently as she cradled his face to look at her. "I hate seeing you hurt like this."

Byakuya felt himself melt and more tears welled in his eyes. He attempted to turn away from her, ashamed at his weakness, but she simply wiped his tears away and kissed his cheek before cradling him in her arms. She nuzzled her nose against his cheek as she rocked him back and forth to sooth him.

"There, there…I'm right here." she cooed as he sniffed pitifully in her embrace. Byakuya clung to her almost childishly as he absorbed the tenderness and affection that he desperately needed. Eventually his tears ran dry and his eyes felt heavy with exhaustion; his eyes fluttered slightly and his head lolled against Rangiku. She noticed this and quickly arranged the sheets around them and folded him back into her arms.

Rangiku touched her forehead to his, giving him a soft smile before leaning over him to shut off the light. One last peck on the cheek and a murmured goodnight signaled that he should relax and attempt to go to sleep, but his conscience wouldn't allow that.

"You should not have to deal with me in this state." Byakuya whispered after a moment. He felt Rangiku move and she was undoubtedly looking at him. "It is shameful for me to feel this way." The embarrassment was clawing at him and he felt lost.

"No, it's not." Rangiku said gently as he felt her hand caress his chest. "What you feel are normal emotions and bottling them up inside isn't healthy. You're not perfect and I don't expect you to be." She was well aware that Byakuya believed in those annoying gender roles that stated that only she could be emotional and only he could comfort her.

"I am better than this." Byakuya said from clenched teeth.

"I know you are, but it's okay not to be okay sometimes." Rangiku replied gently.

She then made the decision to concentrate on sensing his emotions as she had in the past. Byakuya felt slightly mollified by her words yet still a bit upset over everything. Another kiss pressed to his cheek calmed him again and she tugged at his earlobe.

"You are so precious to me…" Rangiku whispered gently in his ear. "I just wish you could realize this."

Byakuya stilled for several long moments and Rangiku was starting to fear that she said something wrong again. She was just about to call out to him, yet she felt him press a tender kiss to her mouth. A soft noise of surprise from her was muffled by Byakuya's mouth, never once disengaging from the kiss. Rangiku could feel his desperation pour into their connection, almost as if kissing her was the only way to rid himself of his pain.

The taste of sake flooded her taste buds as he explored her mouth tentatively, soft groans thrumming in her ear drums. She caressed his shoulders as she poured warmth and reassurance into their connection, tilting her head slightly and moving closer into him to reciprocate his ministrations. If this was what it took to bring him back to earth, she would just have to set aside her own feelings and simply think about him.

Could she?

As much as she just wanted this kiss to be centered on comforting Byakuya, her own feelings were starting to push forth into her awareness. The scratch of his stubble grazing her chin sent shivers down her spine and she could not help but cling to him a bit tighter. She felt his hands caress her gently, stroking her back and one of her thighs as he groaned softly into her mouth, sending a wave of fire throughout her body.

"Ohh…Byakuya…" she whispered his name when he gave her a brief respite to breath, gasping as he dove back in with even more enthusiasm. She felt flecks of moisture sprinkle onto her cheeks—tears—and she knew they weren't hers. This wasn't healthy at all; the last thing that Byakuya needed was to use physical release as a means of handling emotional issues. Rangiku herself was a prime example of this being a terrible idea. Yet she simply could not disengage from him; everything in her was warning her to push him off of her, to chide him gently before encouraging a healthier way of coping, yet she simply could not do it.

Thankfully, Byakuya seemed to pick up on her hesitance and slowly began to end his unrelenting barrage of passionate kisses.

They parted for a much-needed breather sometime later and although Rangiku couldn't see much of anything in the pitch-black darkness of the room, she knew he was gazing at her. She was almost glad for that, in a way. Those eyes of his would melt her in an instant and there was simply too much going through her mind to deal with that. Her heart was thumping wildly and she felt the unbearable urge to take charge, roll this man over on his back and continue where they left off.

A butterfly kiss grazed her cheek as she felt his lips trace her jawline and she gasped audibly. Once she felt his lips trace the length of her neck, her eyes rolled into the back of her head with pleasure.

" _Gods…"_

"I need you." His deep voice reverberated in her ears and she felt flames in her veins.

Rangiku groaned softly and vainly attempted to keep her wits about her, but she was losing the battle. It must have startled Byakuya back to earth because he immediately backed away and retreated to his side of her bed without another sound. Rangiku noticed that Byakuya now felt a mixture of anxiety, shame, and guilt that was eating away at him and felt her heart break for this man.

She nibbled at her kiss-swollen lip, fighting an internal battle within herself before she reached out to him, grazing her fingers across his bare back before placing her palm flat. He relaxed under her touch and waited a moment before turning to face her and snuggled into her opened arms. Pressing a kiss in between his eyebrows, she hummed to him until she felt him relax and start to snore softly. Once she was certain that Byakuya was sound asleep, she let loose the tears she was holding back and cried quietly to herself in the moonlight.

* * *

Rangiku woke herself up early the next morning, carefully easing a pillow under Byakuya's arm to replace her body that had been laced snugly in his arms. He made a noise of displeasure at the disparity in warmth but thankfully stayed asleep. Pressing a gentle kiss on his forehead, she looked at him wistfully for a few moments before she decided to be productive for the day.

Stumbling into the living room with Byakuya's clothes, she tossed them in the wash and decided that stress cleaning was the best course of action to take while Byakuya was still asleep. Last night was… _something._

She blamed herself, she always does. Had she not crawled into Byakuya's lap and made out with him like a hormonal teenager, he wouldn't have followed her into her room for the explanation that he deserved only to see that picture.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid…" Rangiku admonished herself as she swept out her kitchen angrily with a broom. What on earth was she thinking? _Was_ she even thinking at all?!

Yes, she did crawl onto his lap to convince him to listen to her idea. Using her feminine wiles to get her way was not abnormal for her at all. Byakuya couldn't resist a good eyelash flutter and she was well aware of this. Kissing him like that was not the plan whatsoever, it just _happened._ Something happened in the moment when their eyes met and she felt an intense pull towards him that she couldn't resist. Once again, they had ventured into forbidden territory out of the blue and she had no idea how to address it with him.

She cleared her throat audibly at the memory of them in bed together last night, exploring each other's mouths as their fingers tangled in each other's damp hair. It was the booze, it had to be the booze, she rationalized her herself with a firm nod. Byakuya wasn't a heavy drinker and while she had her share last night, he had much more. He was no lightweight, either, but the alcohol made the situation a lot more dramatic than it might have been without. This would not have happened if he was sober. Even though she made the first move, Rangiku had to admit that she liked the feeling of Byakuya taking charge for once. She knew that she was desired by many, yet his desire stirred a wanting in her that she hadn't felt for so long.

Rangiku wasn't going to lie to herself and pretend that she didn't find his touch absolutely intoxicating. She was not a prude. A grown woman knows what she likes and doesn't like. Granted, it wasn't exactly proper to allow this man to touch her like this and attempt to disregard his furtive attempts to inquire as to what they were actually doing with themselves. Even so, it wasn't as if they were constantly all over each other; aside from hugs, late night cuddles and chaste kisses goodnight, they were nothing but casual around each other. Just like proper best friends would usually do, except for what had happened last night.

These rare moments of intense intimacy were starting to become a common occurrence and she knew that she wanted it, badly.

His touch, his kisses…

If only the circumstances were positive…

After thoroughly cleaning the kitchen, dining room, and guest bathroom, she was about to tackle the living room until she noticed that Byakuya had been leaning against the doorway that led from her bedroom, watching her. His face had grown the most stubble that she had ever seen on him before, giving him such a ruggedly masculine appearance that had her heart skip a beat. He scratched at it for a moment as he gave her a piercing look. Unfortunately his eyes were still red and puffy, a reminder of her awful screw up from the previous night.

"Hey…" A polite greeting trailed from her lips as she went to flip her rug over to sweep underneath it.

Byakuya remained silent, simply watching her with a blank face before he walked over to her, wrapping his arms underneath her backside and lifting her easily. He then walked her backwards towards the couch without a single word. Rangiku yelped at this and stammered helplessly as Byakuya plopped her at the end of the couch, staring up at him with surprise. He then stretched himself out, laying himself between Rangiku and the couch's cushions and rested his head in the crook of her neck. It was almost childlike the way that he snuggled himself into her, as if he was a small child who was woken up in the middle of the night from a nightmare.

"I was cleaning…" Rangiku protested as she squirmed, feeling a bit unnerved at his behavior and this provocative position they were now in. "Are you okay?"

Byakuya stayed silent, not trusting himself to answer. He _hadn't_ been okay for so long. Yet with her, he was able to have a reprieve from it all. With her, he could simple _forget._ Waking up this morning without her nearly sent him into a panic before he heard her bustling around the apartment. He felt Rangiku relax significantly as she caressed his back.

"I'm so sorry." She could not even find it in herself to try and squirm her way out from underneath him, his body weight on top of her actually felt lovely and she was selfish enough to enjoy it. It just made the situation even worse for her.

Byakuya nodded minutely in an attempt to reassure her that she was not at fault. They relaxed into each other for a while, him savoring her touch and her relishing in his weight and warmth. While this position was provocative enough for her to originally assume that he had other intentions, she quickly realized that he simply needed a comforting touch and reassurance that the previous night wasn't a nightmare at all. She caressed his skin, tracing shapes as she thought about what she needed to say to him next.

"I buried him near where we used to live as kids. Only I know where it is, didn't want vandals to ruin anything out there." Rangiku spoke after a while. "Haven't been out there in months either…" She tilted his head to make him look at her and gave him a sad smile. "You're not the only one who hasn't been on top of things."

"Our situations are quite dissimilar." Byakuya protested calmly, finally deciding to speak for the first time since the night before. "He betrayed you, yet she was my wife."

"I still loved him though." Rangiku sighed sadly and Byakuya felt an unpleasant jolt in his chest before he noticed that she spoke in the past tense. "Now I just feel sick to my stomach at the thought of him."

This gave Byakuya pause. Was this ill feeling that she had the result of guilt he suffered from as well? Or was this general malcontent of how her relationship with him was ended by his betrayal and untimely death? He decided not to pry with the fear of saying something overtly insensitive.

Byakuya sat up now, having his fill of her touch for the time being. She straightened herself out quickly and turned to rest her back on the arm of the couch before sighing.

"Who knew that a little make out session would lead to something like this?" Her beautiful lips pouted as she scratched at her golden tresses of hair. "Such a mess."

"I enjoyed it immensely." Byakuya frankly admitted, feeling his face heat up at how readily he fessed up. This was a first for them and while the initial start of it was under less than pleasant conditions, he was not against this becoming a regular occurrence. Although he hated the fact that it took a breakdown from him to lead them to this new stage in their—whatever they had was. Rangiku's kisses were near addicting and he craved for them more than he was willing to admit.

"Oh, I know. I felt how you were trying to grab onto my ass for dear life." Those sweet lips of hers curved into that playful smile he loved to see.

"My actions, although uncalled for, were not entirely unprovoked." Byakuya countered as he felt his lips attempt to do the same. The melancholy of the situation quickly formed into the lighthearted banter that he grew to appreciate from her.

Rangiku rolled her eyes and kicked at him, cursing when he immediately redirected her kick and caused her to sprawl out on the floor. He immediately reached for her and hefted her up, pretending to grunt roughly with exertion at her body weight and she once again swung at him fruitlessly.

After resettling herself on the couch with a huff, she eyed him and spoke quietly. "You mean the world to me, Byakuya. Never forget that."

Byakuya's eyes softened at her words and he nodded. "Thank you." He hesitated a moment before he spoke again. "I want you to know that I appreciate that."

A pleased grin exposed two rows of gleaming white teeth before Rangiku replied with conviction in her voice. "I know you do, silly, and I don't care if I have to yell it in your ear every morning until you finally get it."

"As long as you offer to sit in my lap again, I will comply." Byakuya spoke with a completely straight face, yet the glint in his eyes betrayed his expression. Rangiku tossed a couch cushion at his face in response and it smacked him hard enough that his body fell back on the couch.

"The fastest man in the realm still cannot best a pillow, what a shame…" Rangiku teased him as she leaned over his prone body. "I bet Yoruichi-san could have dodged it."

He blinked at her, almost looking insulted at his skill set being underestimated.

Rangiku snorted out a laugh yet her countenance soon sobered. "Are you sure that you're alright? I've never seen you like that before."

Byakuya remained on his back, content with just staring at the ceiling as he was once again reminded of his cowardice. Against his better judgment, he allowed his gaze to lock on hers and felt the steel gates that he erected around his heart fall with the full knowledge that he had no chance of avoiding this topic.

"I'd rather comfort you than be comforted." He stated plainly. Rangiku had her moments of sorrow as well and he knew how to calm her down yet he still felt ashamed at receiving the same care. The man was supposed to be the unyielding pillar of strength and support for his woman, never the other way around. Hours of lessons from his tutors had taught him that the man is supposed to protect and provide and the woman is supposed to simply accept it—he learned this as a child and still believed in it. He didn't care if his mindset was an archaic manner of thinking; Byakuya would not allow Rangiku to pick up after his emotional mess if he could avoid it. That was _his_ duty, not hers. He would have those _moments_ in the privacy of his quarters at the Manor and would always get himself together in due course. Last night was an unfortunate slip up that he would beat himself up over for weeks to come now that she knew.

"There's room for both of us on this emotional instability ride, I can guarantee you that." Rangiku protested with a twitching eyebrow. "If you have something on your mind that's bothering you, _tell me._ I'm here for you."

Byakuya still looked unconvinced.

"I told you last night that keeping things bottled up inside of you is unhealthy. You have to let things out sometimes."

Byakuya pretended to look confused.

"Don't give me that look, asshole." She swatted at him lightly with open hands.

His lips twitched slightly as he parried the blows. She knew that he liked it when they play fought. Whatever it was about men and playfighting puzzled her, but she might as well keep pushing for this.

"Go to her." Rangiku said quietly, verbalizing a suggestion that had been on her mind since sunrise.

Byakuya looked apprehensive. Rangiku did not have to elaborate for him to understand. What would he even say to her?

"C'mon, just do it."

This should not be so difficult.

"Even for five minutes."

"I will go." Byakuya interrupted her next pleading sentence impatiently.

"Good." She smiled at him victoriously. It would be much easier for him to see her than her attempting to go visit Gin, captain never quite approved of those trips and she eventually stopped asking. At least one of them deserved to work on getting more closure. Standing up to stretch, she reached over and pulled at his arm. "Find something in the fridge to eat and then you can help me clean."

"Clean? I cannot stay here all day." Byakuya sat up and gave her a perplexed look.

"Well, you can't exactly leave here now because I'm washing your clothes." She explained before she gestured to the balcony window, where the sun was shining brightly through it. They could hear the faint voices of 10th Division members going about their day in the lovely weather. "Besides, don't you realize how crazy it would look for you as a captain to stroll out of my apartment in your pajamas and a scruffy face so early in the day?"

Byakuya had to admit that Rangiku was completely right; any witnesses to him exiting her apartment unshaven and wearing pajama pants would quickly collapse from utter shock and terror and undoubtedly spread the news about the Seireitei. He could envision it clearly in his mind's eye—Rangiku's horde of harpies that she calls friends would mob him with meddling questions, Hitsugaya might attempt to hunt him down and murder him, and Yoruichi would most likely cackle that gods forsaken laugh in his face and tease him relentlessly—there were so many terrible scenarios that dwelled in the realm of possibilities. That was not how he wanted his relation— _friendship_ with Rangiku to become known to the public. Their— _friendship_ would immediately be seen as a forbidden affair and neither of them wanted to deal with the backlash.

"Your friends seem to believe that you are currently involved with a man either way." Byakuya challenged her.

"They don't know about you yet and I never give them names." She replied shortly, forgetting to correct him and failing to notice the slight glint of recognition in his eyes. "Well, except for Rukia-chan and Yoruichi-san, but they don't count."

"Not even Hitsugaya? Does he not know about me?"

"Gods, no. He'll kill me." Rangiku groaned aloud at the thought and noticed that her answer sounded a bit callous. "Well, he knows I spend a lot of time with someone who just so happens to be you."

"I see." Byakuya replied with a grunt. "I am surprised that he has not attempted to inquire further."

"He tried at first, but taicho's cooled off on the questions months ago. He never forgets, though." Rangiku shrugged casually. "Either way, you're stuck here with me unless you want to go on a field trip in that get up."

"Being with you is hardly something that I would consider to be 'stuck'." Byakuya argued as he gave Rangiku a disapproving look. He took her hand in his, squeezing it softly and running his thumb over her fingers. She blushed and vainly attempted to disguise a smile before she squeezed his hand as well.

"Touché." Rangiku chuckled as she shook his arm. "Trust me, as much as I like drama, gossip, and free food with the girls—I'd still want to be with you over them nine and a half times out of ten." She gave him a bright grin and felt her heart flutter at the glee in Byakuya's dark eyes.

"You could not give me the other half point?" Byakuya questioned her with a taunting smirk.

"Gods, no—you'd gloat about it for weeks and you wouldn't let me hear the end of it." Rangiku freed her hand from his and clasped both of her hand against her bosom at the thought. "Anyways, you probably can't leave until sundown unless we both want to make the front page on the news."

"Hmm, and gods forbid that." Byakuya thought of the less than desired possibilities and sighed as he once again scratched at his face. This damned facial hair itched. Noticing him fiddle with his facial hair, Rangiku smiled mischievously and drew closer to him.

"Grow it out, it'll look cute." Rangiku reached forth and stroked his face with both hands, loving how his scruff felt on her fingertips. Byakuya kept his face cleanly shaven out of habit, although Rangiku loved it when he allowed himself to grow it out a bit. The sight of a burgeoning beard on his sharp jawline caused goosebumps to prickle her skin with excitement; it made him look even more devilishly handsome. While he might still be a pretty boy to her, she could grow used to this rugged side of him. She scratched underneath his chin and he purred at her touch. A cocked eyebrow from him made her pinch his cheeks teasingly and shake his face around as she stuck her tongue out at him.

Feeling significantly better than he did when he awoke, he pulled her in to sit astride his lap for a hug, nuzzling his face into her neck and squeezing her gently around her midsection. She wrapped her arms around him and he felt her delicious warmth radiate into him from head to toe. He smiled to himself as he felt her chest swell against him from her giggles before he burrowed his nose behind her ear and inhaled her sweet scent with reverence. This was all that a man needed to endure, in his opinion; food and water meant little compared to a warm, soft woman to hold snugly in his arms.

Byakuya fought the unbearable urge to press his lips against her neck and leave a less-than-innocent mark on her skin. Clearing his throat slightly to clear his mind from further physically intimate actions that he wanted to try with her, he relaxed himself against the plush couch cushions. Physical contact was important to Byakuya, especially having been devoid of it for most of his life. Having Rangiku entirely willing to let him have her like this meant the world to him.

"Ugh, never mind." Rangiku squirmed in his arms as his rough cheek brushed against her neck, eliciting a delightful shiver from her. "It's itchy."

"Make up your mind, woman." Byakuya ordered her softly as he stroked her arm.

"I don't feel like it, plus my indecisiveness is just another thing that you love about me." Rangiku chortled heartily.

"It is utterly infuriating." Byakuya responded with a furrowed brow, leaning his head back to look at her warily.

"You still love it." She scratched underneath his chin again and felt her heart soar at the sight of his smile.

"It is endearing at times." Byakuya conceded with a nod as he let his arms entwine around her even more firmly. "Of course, only you have the capability of making anything attractive."

"Oooh." Rangiku cooed with surprise at Byakuya's forwardness. "Are you flirting with me, Kuchiki-taicho?"

"I am stating a simple fact." Byakuya let his left hand drift to her knee, drawing tender circles on her skin with his thumb. "Am I mistaken?"

"You know that I can't answer that—it would insinuate the exact opposite." Rangiku retorted with a pout. "Trying to set me up, aren't you?"

"I would attempt to be more creative than that, Rangiku-san." Byakuya reassured her.

"Only because my opinion matters so much to you."

"Perhaps I dislike the idea of leaving a beautiful woman unsatisfied." He looked deeply into her eyes, gratified at the sight of the rosiness to her cheeks. Rangiku glanced around the room for a moment, a bit too flustered to make eye contact with Byakuya as she reined herself back in.

"I'm sure you're well-versed in taming the wiles of a woman." Rangiku said as she gave him an award-winning grin, her moment of girlish delight at his innuendo was quickly tamed.

"Not particularly." Byakuya admitted frankly.

"You grew up around a bunch of beautiful noble-girls, I'm pretty sure you have a good idea." Rangiku laughed and rested her chin against the side of his head. She felt him tense and scoff with disgust from the memories of being accosted by teenaged girls during his youth, drawing out a humorous chuckle from her. Rangiku burrowed her nose into Byakuya's hair and inhaled deeply, relishing the scent of her own flowery shampoo with his own natural, masculine scent. "My shampoo smells really good on you. Refreshing, actually—like a sweet summer breeze."

"I smell like a woman." Byakuya argued half-heartedly, relishing in the extra physical contact that came with her sniffing his hair. She had shown no inclination of wanting to escape from his embrace and he was more than pleased about this.

"A really sexy woman with a hot body." Rangiku replied with a firm nod of the head. "So sexy that you can't even wrap your head around it. A nice quality, don't you think?"

"One of a multitude of _your_ qualities." Byakuya commented with the slightest upturn of his lips.

Rangiku grinned at him before her expression looked contemplative. He noticed the change and nodded at her to speak what was on her mind.

"Does it help?"

"Does what help?"

"When you kiss me." She blurted out before blushing. After a moment, she continued. "Does it really help you to feel better?"

Byakuya hesitated and his expression looked apprehensive. They hadn't had an honest conversation about their newest form of intimacy; they had delved into it once Rangiku had initiated their first kiss and he followed her lead without delay. He was not foolish enough to question it and have the risk of her no longer initiating anymore. Still, Byakuya surmised that it was time to speak his mind about this. Perhaps this would further convince her of his intentions towards her if he was truly transparent.

"I enjoy your touch; it is not a matter of whether or not it makes me feel better. Rangiku-san, I simply enjoy _you._ Do you fault me for that?" His voice lowered an octave normal than usual and the shiver that tickled her spine was tantalizing. Byakuya allowed his fingers to tease the skin exposed on her waist from the back of her shirt. He watched as her pupils dilated at his words and touch; her bottom lip folded into her mouth and he had the agonizing urge to draw it out with his own mouth.

"I could never do that." Rangiku swallowed thickly and responded after a moment, reaching around his head to touch the back of his neck with her hand. "You deserve it, don't you think?"

"In my mind, I believe that I am fortunate for the chance, not deserving of it." Byakuya admitted cryptically, yet Rangiku easily read between the lines. This mindset of his that he deserved to forever be unhappy due to his former actions saddened Rangiku greatly.

Rangiku brushed her thumb across one of his eyebrows. "After all that we've been through, don't we deserve a little tender, loving care? Genuine intimacy from someone who actually cares?"

Byakuya's expression was dubious, almost as if he was afraid that whatever he said to her next would be wrong. Noticing this, Rangiku held his face and placed her face mere inches away, making him focus his entire attention on her.

"Let me take care of you and be there for you." Rangiku pleaded with him earnestly. "I want this. I want you to be happy."

Byakuya felt a wad form in his throat and nodded, gazing at her with beseeching, smoldering gray eyes.

She felt herself lean into him reflexively, stopping herself just in time before their lips touched again. _Too soon._

Instead of reeling back, Rangiku paused and closed her eyes before diverting her lips to his cheek.

"Feels like I just kissed a goat." Rangiku commented as she swiped her lips across the back of her hand. A teasing smile and a flirtatious flip of her hair had his heart doing backflips at the sight. It was mind-bogging how their tender moments could lapse into light-hearted banter at a blink of an eye; it was so sudden that Byakuya was still reeling from the previous interaction and barely even registered the change.

Deciding to throw caution to the wind with the excuse that he had earned the opportunity to try something like this again, he laced his left arm underneath her knees and stood up, now holding her bridal style in his arms. She was far from heavy, yet not particularly dainty at all. Rangiku was a perfect blend of toned muscle and blessed softness. Byakuya found that he favored a woman of a firm constitution and vivacious curves were an added bonus as well. This woman belonged in his arms and he would be eternally damned if he ever had to give her up.

He reminisced about eventful situation long ago and first time he carried Rangiku like this; how different everything was nearly two years ago. There had been so much change.

"Whoa! Hey!" Rangiku exclaimed and flushed brightly as she fearfully looked to see how high from the ground she now was. Before she could even question him about his intentions, he carted her away from the couch and towards her bedroom. Blushing furiously at the implications of a sexy, shirtless, and unshaven man carrying her into her bedroom in his arms, she couldn't even find the words to argue and instead stammered helplessly. Moments later, she was once again tossed onto another set of furniture—her bed—and Byakuya stood next to it waiting for her to speak her mind.

"Is carrying me around a kink of yours now?" Rangiku questioned as she rolled onto her side.

He shook his head, successfully hiding a smile before he answered her. "I want you to stay and wait here for a while."

"For what? Wait!" Rangiku queried as he turned to leave the room. "Byakuya!" She made to stand again yet Byakuya held her gently by the shoulders.

"It is a surprise." Byakuya answered as he pointed a finger at the bed. "Just stay here and relax. Listen to me, Rangiku-san."

Rangiku puffed out her cheeks at him adamantly, preparing herself to ignore him and stomp her way back into the living room before he now whipped out the big guns. Two could play at this game and Byakuya knew just what to do. He gave her an award-winning grin—a grin so large that his face felt the strain of unfamiliar muscles being put to use. His hand found purpose on her cheek and he caressed it gently with his thumb before speaking.

"Please?"

The flustered blush and helpless stammers from her promptly solidified her compliance and with a final teasing brush of his thumb across her cheek, Byakuya made his way out of her room with purposeful strides.

Deciding to comply for the time being, Rangiku fished out a magazine from under the bed and read from it, trying to distract herself from the flurry of emotions that were running rampant inside of her. That damned smile of his was treacherous and worked way too well. She could barely even think straight around this man anymore and she knew she was now treading in dangerous waters. Her carefully formed barrier of platonic admiration for this man was quickly deteriorating and she felt no inclination of building it back up.

The infamous Rangiku Matsumoto, known for loving the attention of men from all walks of life now only wants the attention of just one man. She craves it even—his attention, his acknowledgement, his _desire_ …

Byakuya.

She snorted under her breath at the irony of it all. Banging her head on the mattress, she huffed to herself as she flopped onto her back.

Their situation was beyond odd—Byakuya made it abundantly clear since day one of his feelings for her and instead of letting him down easy and going about her business, she invited him into her life and crafted a friendship. Rangiku would have had to have been a fool to assume that it could remain so forever.

She wanted companionship, someone that she could trust inexplicably and she had that in Byakuya. The time they had spent together was absolute bliss. This man was her hero and she admired him immensely. She thought of him throughout the day when they were apart and felt genuine happiness when they were together. Was it okay to want more than that with this man? Was it okay to _feel?_

She simply was not ready for this; things were escalating too quickly between the both of them and she was at an utter loss on how to handle this properly. Barely six months ago she could easily call them buddies and now they spent their free time together cuddling, kissing, and other _non-_ friendship like activities. What made things even more awkward was that it was her that initiated everything; the kissing, cuddling, sleeping together—it was _her._ Not once had Byakuya initiated the first of any of their intimate acts even though he made his romantic feelings known in the first place.

Until last night after that kiss, Byakuya had never once questioned her about their increasingly occurring intimate acts. She still could not blame him for that even though he told her not to worry herself about it anymore.

Byakuya was not a confrontational man unless he had a reason to speak his mind.

After a while of contemplation, she decided to tip toe from her bedroom and see what he was up to. The scent of food cooking made her perk up and she peered around the corner to see Byakuya at the stove cooking. Rangiku knew for a fact that Byakuya was terrible at anything involving food, so the fact that this meal actually smelled delicious was a pleasant surprise. Leaning against the doorframe of the hallway, she watched him with a proud smile on her face for a few moments before she decided to interrupt him.

She wrapped her arms around him once she reached the stove, peering around him to see him cooking omurice.

"Smells good." Rangiku commented happily as she squeezed him from behind, resting her cheek against his arm. She felt him relax into her touch and even place his hand atop hers for a brief moment in acknowledgement.

"I wanted you serve you breakfast in bed, but I see that you cannot follow simple instructions. You have ruined your surprise, Rangiku-san." Byakuya flipped the omurice onto a second plate and glanced over his shoulder at her, a challenging twinkle in his eyes. Rangiku pinched at his ribs in response and took their plates, gesturing with her chin for him to follow her.

"Since when have I ever done what I was told to do?" Rangiku questioned sultrily over her shoulder as she swayed herself towards her bedroom, a wide-eyed Byakuya hot on her heels. He doubled back once he saw that he had forgotten their tea and quickly entered the room to see her lounging against her pillows, tucking into her plate with relish. Gods, she was a vision.

"Mmm." Rangiku hummed as she tasted the omurice. "I should've waited for you, sorry about that."

"It's fine." Byakuya handed her a cup of tea and sat himself next to her. "Do you like it?"

"It's amazing." Rangiku grinned at him. "But I'm pretty sure that I'm supposed to be the one doing this for you to cheer you up."

"Think of this as a way of showing my thanks." Byakuya said in between chews, feeling himself puff up with pride knowing that he had made her happy. Seeing this woman's smile was worth more to him than anything.

"Aw, look at you; talking with your mouth full. You're so adorable, you know that?" Rangiku cooed as she continued to eat, failing to notice the yearning gaze Byakuya was giving her.

She was in such a state of bliss that she couldn't help but chuckle a bit; an adorably sexy man just cooked her breakfast in bed after going through so much the night before and was still only fixated on what made her happy. This man was something else.

Rangiku looked over at him furtively and felt her heart flutter as she watched him eat; sometimes she could barely take her eyes off of him. For whatever reason, his eyebrows always furrowed together whenever he ate anything and Rangiku giggled under her breath at the sight. Hearing this, Byakuya gave her a questioning look and she waved him off gently, assuring him that she was in a pleasant mood. After the night before, this was a welcomed change in pace and she did not want to change that.

Deciding to take a chance, she swiped Byakuya's fork from his hand and picked up a piece of omurice, holding it in front of his face. "Open wide!"

He blinked owlishly at her before allowing her to feed him, blushing against his own will when she gently brushed the corner of his mouth with her thumb.

"Thank you for this." Rangiku said quietly, her eyes misting slightly with emotional tears. "You really are an amazing man, Byakuya." She smiled gently as she watched a slight blush appear on his face.

"I—I…" He tried to speak and found that his words failed him for a moment. He felt as her hand entwined with his and squeezed it gently.

"You're perfect."

Once again, Byakuya was stunned into silence and could only nod. Thankfully and before he could look anymore foolish in front of her, Rangiku returned to her plate of food and they finished their meal in silence.

Rangiku trotted from the room soon after and placed the empty plates in the sink. She also tossed Byakuya's clothes into the dryer before she rushed back to her room. Byakuya was reclined against her headboard and gave her a searching gaze as she shrugged off his robe and tossed it at the foot of the bed. She blushed lightly at his scrutiny and crawled into the bed to cuddle with him.

"You should not lay down so soon after eating." Byakuya commented as he leaned himself on his elbow to face her. He placed his other hand on her back and began to rub it in circles.

"I'll live." Rangiku shrugged as she placed her forehead onto his chest. "Just relax…"

She opened her eyes when she felt his thumb trace her cheek and looked at him. Byakuya hesitated for a moment, his eyes darting to her lips as he licked his discreetly. He felt his confidence falter in that moment and looked past her, to her disappointment. Rangiku knew that his hesitance was because of their previous night in the same bed; he wasn't drunk enough then to not remember what had happened.

Rangiku wrapped her arm around him and laced her legs in between his. "I hope you feel better."

"I do." Byakuya whispered as his thumb still traced about her cheek.

"I wish that I could too."

"You are not at fault."

"I started this and we're not even…" Rangiku trailed off suddenly and rested her forehead on his chest again in silence. A displeased grumble from Byakuya reverberated about her entire body and she shivered at the sensation.

"You cannot lambast me for my self-deprecating thoughts while doing the same to yourself."

"Tch. Big words even in bed—gods, Byakuya; give it a rest already." Rangiku complained under her breath as she ignored the rest of his comment.

"If I must keep reminding you that nothing was your fault, I will. You will not criticize yourself any longer in my presence." Byakuya commanded her sternly with a glare, jolting her back to the present.

She gave him a half-hearted glare before she caught a glimpse of his earnest gaze and felt her petulance immediately dissipate. Snuggling closer into him enough to push him flat on his back, she burrowed her face into his neck, entangled her legs with his and immediately closed her eyes.

"You have to promise that you will do the same." Rangiku said after an extended period of time spent cuddling.

"Hmm?" Byakuya was dozing and didn't quite catch what Rangiku had said.

Rangiku lifted her head so that her face was mere millimeters away from Byakuya. "I said that you have to promise me the same thing." She noticed how close they were and quickly blushed a cute rouge color. "Please, do it for me."

Byakuya nodded in agreeance, fully on board. To prove to Rangiku that he was willing to change and improve himself just for her was immensely important. It proved his dedication to the promise and his desire to keep her happy. Becoming a better man for this woman would be worth it in the end.

"I will." He promised her as he gently squeezed her in his arms. Rangiku gave him a gentle smile, noticing a bit too late that their noses were mere millimeters away from touching. She watched how his gaze softened at the sight of her and felt such warmth and tenderness envelop her.

"You make me happy." He whispered softly before shutting his eyes again.

"I'm glad." She whispered shakily, sighing shakily under her breath as she felt him squeeze her body into his. His hands gently caressed her as he hummed to her softly under his breath,

Before either of their minds had the opportunity to delve into further complexities of this intimacy, Rangiku's phone started to buzz loudly from her nightstand. Startled, she immediately scrambled away Byakuya and reached for it. She cursed under her breath a moment later and tossed it onto the bed.

"What is the matter?" Byakuya questioned, the disappointment of their interrupted intimacy was quickly replaced with concern.

"Nanao is here—I'm supposed to give her paperwork for the SWA." Rangiku explained as she hurriedly tossed on Byakuya's robe. "You have to stay here and be quiet—things could get really ugly if she finds out about you."

"I see." Byakuya acquiesced with a frown, feeling a bit concerned himself.

"It'll be alright." Rangiku said and gave him a flashing smile before sprinting outside and closing her bedroom door shut.

Byakuya watched her leave silently, brooding to himself as he kept an ear out for what was happening on the other side of the door.

"I hope you are right."

* * *

 **Welcome back! It's been way too long and I hope everyone is still interested in this story. You know, life always tosses curve balls at you and it's pretty hard to work around it unless you know it's coming. Enjoy this chapter for the holidays and don't forget to review! Thanks for reading!**


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